Hollywood Creative Alliance unveils 2026 Astra Podcast Awards nominees

The Hollywood Creative Alliance has announced the nominees for the 2026 Astra Podcast Awards, with Call Her Daddy, Fly on the Wall, Good Hang, Table Read and other shows competing across 16 categories. The winners will be announced Nov. 11 in Studio City, and all nominees are eligible for Podcast of the Year.

Why it matters: - The Astra Podcast Awards are expanding attention on podcasting across entertainment, news, comedy, scripted audio and niche categories. - Every nominee is eligible for Podcast of the Year, raising the stakes across all 16 categories. - The awards can help surface breakout shows and reinforce mainstream recognition for podcast creators.

What happened: - The Hollywood Creative Alliance announced the nominees for the 2026 Astra Podcast Awards on Oct. 14, 2026. - The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, at The Garland Hotel in Studio City, California. - Tickets are available now at AstraPodcastAwards.com. - The nominee list includes Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, SmartLess, Crime Junkie and The Daily.

The details: - The nominations span beauty and fashion, books, comedy, family and parenting, film, gaming, health and wellness, pop culture, science, scripted storytelling, sports, topical news, true crime and television. - Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast nominees are Breaking Beauty, Gloss Angeles, Let’s Get Dressed and The Skin Club Podcast. - Best Book Podcast nominees are Booked on Fantasy, Fantasy Fangirls, It Was A Book First and The Book Club. - Best Celebrity Podcast nominees are Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Dear Chelsea, Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, and Good Hang with Amy Poehler. - Best Comedy Podcast nominees are Call Her Daddy, SmartLess, Take Your Shoes Off with Rick Glassman and This Past Weekend with Theo Von. - Best Family & Parenting Podcast nominees are Always Here, Newsicle, Good Inside and This is So Awkward. - Best Film Podcast nominees are 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla, Filmspotting, Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz and You Must Remember This. - Best Game Podcast nominees are Critical Role Podcast, Giant Bombcast, No Chit Chat Trivia and Retronauts. - Best Health & Wellness Podcast nominees are Choosing Joy, In Heels with Keni Silva, Tony Mantor: Why Not Me? and Well to Do with Andi Lew. - Best Member Podcast nominees are Film Talk With AJ Dean, Hallmarkies, United By Rice and Visibility Ultd. - Best Pop Culture Podcast nominees are Literally! With Rob Lowe, Pop Culture Happy Hour, The Black Guy Who Tips and The Toast. - Best Science Podcast nominees are DoctoRx Unscripted, Huge if True with Cleo Abram, Stuff to Blow Your Mind and The Rest is Science. - Best Scripted Podcast nominees are Midnight Burger, Table Read, The Dragoning and Violet’s Shadow Murder Mysteries. - Best Sports Podcast nominees are Born To The Game, Pardon My Take, The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Jenkins & Jonez Podcast. - Best Topical News Podcast nominees are 404 Media Podcast, Interesting Things with JC, The AI Chatbot Drag Race and The Daily. - Best True Crime Podcast nominees are Black True Crime, Crime Junkie, Love Trapped and My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. - Best TV Podcast nominees are Pod Meets World, That’s Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, The Buzz - BuzzWorthy Radio and The Greatest Generation. - The Hollywood Creative Alliance says the nominees reflect a broad range of voices and storytelling across podcasting.

Between the lines: - The category mix shows how podcasts now compete as both entertainment products and journalism platforms. - The inclusion of mainstream celebrity and comedy shows alongside niche science and scripted titles suggests the awards are aiming for broad industry relevance. - The awards also give smaller shows a shared stage with some of the most recognizable names in audio.

What's next: - Winners will be announced at the Nov. 11 ceremony in Studio City. - The full winner slate will determine which show takes Podcast of the Year. - More information is available at TheAstras.com.