What the British Podcast Awards tells us about the future of audio

On 23 July 2026, the British Podcast Award nominees were revealed with the ceremony set for 1 October 2026.

The categories range from Arts & Culture to Fiction and History and even one for a Welsh Language. This year there is even a new Food & Drink category! Compared to the 2017 awards where categories were severely limited, the 2026 awards show just how the range of podcast genres has expanded.

This shows just how far podcasts have come

Yet classic big names are still dominating the awards, like BBC Audio, The Conversation, The Guardian, The Economist and so many more. However, this shows just how far podcasts have come with these names, traditionally known for their print, television or online media have turned to podcasts.

As a history and politics student, I thought I’d be rather selfish and take a deep dive into both the History nominees and the News, Politics & Current Affairs nominees.

I would like to first mention that I am rather upset that my favourite podcast series, The Rest is Politics and The Rest is History, were not entered. I think these are both great podcasts that offer an intelligent analysis of the topic as well as making it rather entertaining and easy to listen.

An entry must pay to be considered, potentially pricing out lots of smaller podcasters

To enter the awards, an entry must pay to be considered, potentially pricing out lots of smaller podcasters. For a small podcaster or a team, this costs over £50 and for a larger team entry can reach prices as high as £330.

Some big names did make the cut for the History nominations though. One name that immediately stood out to me was Dan Snow’s History Hit. I knew him for hosting many BBC history documentaries, with one recently on The Odyssey. His podcasts meanwhile focus on “the how and why of history’s defining moments”. With topics ranging from ‘The History of the Airport’ to ‘St George and the Dragon’! As someone who likes random history facts, this podcast seems like it will give me my history fix.

The BBC produces four of the eight nominations

Another thing that caught my eye about the History nominations is the dominance of the BBC. The BBC produces four of the eight nominations (Assume Nothing: The Radiation Holiday, Postwar with David Runciman, The House at Number 48 and Witness History). This is probably due to the BBC’s historic involvement with British podcasting, as they kept the podcast idea alive in the early 2010s and their plentiful nominations highlight that even today they still set the standard.

A podcast that I enjoy listening to did make the cut for News, Politics and Current Affairs and that was Piers Morgan Uncensored. I initially engaged with this through its TV form when it was on TalkTV. I remember it having plenty of high-profile guests, including Donald Trump and Andrew Tate. It even stays up to date with Gen-Z by featuring viral figure Clavicular. Despite not always agreeing with Morgan’s political opinions, I do find his podcasts very enjoyable and as a presenter I do think he is rather good.

Sky News also did rather well in the News, Politics and Current Affairs nominations, having been nominated for two of its podcasts.

Electoral Dysfunction is in my opinion, one of the biggest political podcasts ever. With its strong focus on British politics and with well experienced hosts like Beth Rigby, this podcast ensures a knowledgeable insight into our domestic politics.

Meanwhile, Sky’s second nomination The Wargame, is a podcast that constantly pops up among my recommendations. It is a five part series which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK would play out and invites real-life experts such as former military chiefs and ministers. This is especially relevant given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and aggression in Europe. I love a good hypothetical question, so this podcast is likely to be my next listen.

That shows just how far podcasting has come, from the first awards in 2017

Again, I apologise for being selfish and looking into the two sections that interested me the most, but there were just so many sections with so many nominations that it would have been impossible to look at them all in depth. Perhaps that shows just how far podcasting has come, from the first awards in 2017 which were very limited in nominations and categories, to now, where there are plenty of both. Whatever type of podcasts you are into, be sure to tune into the event on 1 October 2026 to see who wins what!