Tonight’s the night for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. This year’s virtual celebration of the podcasting industry was recorded at multiple locations and will feature awards that span 30 different categories to honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts from the last year, as well as the talent and leaders across the industry.
The show, which begins at 9pm ET, will air across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. It will also stream on iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Among the highlights listeners can look forward to hearing is actor and comedian Will Ferrell opening the awards show for a second consecutive year. Ferrell is the host of iHeart’s The Ron Burgundy Podcast. Singer Gwen Stefani will also present HER podcast host Amena Brown with the Seneca Women Podcast Award, which honors women using their voice to help other women. It is sponsored by the Seneca Women Podcast. And stand-up comedian and “The Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. will present the Best News Podcast Award.
A handful of the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards winners have already been announced, including three Icon Awards to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture. Serial Productions’ Sarah Koenig and Julie Synder will receive the 2021 Audible Audio Pioneer Award. How To Citizen host Baratunde Thurston will be honored with the 2021 Social Impact Award. And fiction podcast powerhouse QCode will be honored with the 2021 Innovator Award.
But most of the winners are yet to be revealed. This year’s Podcast of the Year nominees include Bunga Bunga, Dolly Parton’s America, Nice White Parents, Office Ladies, Reply All, Stuff You Should Know, The Breakfast Club, The Daily, The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, and Wind of Change.
Podcast fans decided the winner with votes taken on Twitter through Dec. 31st.