Exclusive: 2024 Signal Awards announce finalists for the best podcasts in all the land

The 3rd Annual Signal Awards shared their list of finalists this morning, highlighting the best that the podcasting world has to offer over the past 12 months. The list covers an anticipatedly wide swath of genres, from news programs from the likes of Apple News and CNN to lighter fare like Las Culuristas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe, and Baby, This Is Keke Palmer with, well, Keke Palmer.   

“With more and more incredible shows being made, listeners and the industry are looking for a standard-bearer of excellence,” Jemma Rose Brown, General Manager of The Signal Awards, said in a statement. “Our Judging Academy’s discerning selections this year represent the most renowned artists, organizations and storytellers shaping the podcast medium today. It is an honor to celebrate their work.”

“I loved how the Signal Awards exposed me to shows that weren’t on my radar,” Lauren González, Senior Manager of Programming at NPR, and member of the Signal Awards Judging Academy, continued. “It’s a great way for growing shows to gain more visibility in the industry.”

In addition to the finalists awarded from the Signal Awards Judging Academy, fans also have the opportunity to vote for the Listener’s Choice Award in all categories until October 17. The finalists will be announced on October 29, with a party honoring them taking place in Brooklyn on November 12. You can find the complete list of winners here, and the Highlights listed below. 

Finalists for Best Host (Shows):

The Assignment With Audie Cornish, from CNN
Apple News Today, from Apple News
Your Mama’s Kitchen, from Audible and Higher Ground
Dark History, from Audioboom Studios and Align PR
Latinos Out Loud, from Latinos Out Loud
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, from Sony Music Entertainment
Oprah’s Super Soul, from Warner Bros. Discovery and OWN
Reality With The King, from QCODE
Tosh Show, from iHeartPodcasts

Finalists for Best Documentary (Shows):

Monumental, from PRX
Finally! A Show About Women That Isn’t A Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare, from Bradley Cooper’s Lea Pictures, iHeartPodcasts and Little Everywhere
Classic Black, from Crewest Studio
Criminal, from Vox Media Podcast Network
The Pirate Of Prague, from Apple TV+
Magnificent Jerk, from Apple TV+
A Field Guide To Gay Animals, from Canadaland
HUMO: Murder And Silence In El Salvador, from Sonoro
Face-Off: The U.S. Vs China, from Airwave
Pretendians, from Canadaland

Finalists for Best Interview Podcast (Individual Episodes):

Death, Sex & Money, from Slate
The Lede: On the Ground In Gaza With Arwa Damon, from New Lines Magazine
All There Is With Anderson Cooper, from CNN
Podcrushed, from Lemonada Media
Apple News In Conversation, from Apple News
Your Mama’s Kitchen, from Audible and Higher Ground
Time Sensitive, from The Slowdown
Marc Summers Unwraps, from Believe Limited

Finalists for Best News and Politics Podcast (Limited Series):

Uncounted Millions, from MSNBC Audio
Chameleon: The Michigan Plot, from Campside Media
Master Plan, from The Lever
The True Story Of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System, from Freakonomics Radio
90 Days With Ana Marie Cox, from Loud Tree Media
The Modi Raj, from The Economist
If All Else Fails, from North Country Public Radio and Zach Hirsch

Finalists for Best Writing (Limited Series & Shows):

The Nightingale Of Iran, from PRX
Foundering: The OpenAI Story, from Bloomberg
Searching For Hobey Baker, from ESPN
SNAFU With Ed Helms, from FilmNation Entertainment
Landslide, from Nuance Tales
Master Plan from The Lever
The Digital Sisterhood, from The Digital Sisterhood

Finalists for Best Sound Design (Shows):

The Story Of Hind Rajab, from Al Jazeera Digital
Ominous Thrill, from Jeff Schmidt Productions
Moriarity: The Silent Order, from Audible and Treefort Media
Weight For It, from ohitsBigRon Studios
Who’s the A**, from Spiked Eggs Productions

Finalists for Best Indie Podcast (Limited Series):

Aisha, from Silver Sound
The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island, from Radio Diaries
The Loud Family, from The Loud Family
Ice Cold Case, from Tenderfoot TV
Back Fires, from Alex Vincent Blumberg

Finalists for Best History Podcast (Limited Series):

Pack One Bag, from LAist Studios
The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The Power Broker, from 99 Percent Invisible
Road To Rickwood, from The MLB
Inheriting, from LAist Studios
Who Killed JFK?, from iHeartPodcasts

Finalists for Athletes Shaping Culture (Shows)

The Other 3 Years, from Bright Sighted Podcast
Club Shay Shay, from DraftKings
Podcast P With Paul George, from Wave Sports + Entertainment

Finalists for Artists & Designers Shaping Culture (Shows)

On Creativity With Paula Wallace, from Savannah College of Art and Design
The Artist Pivot Podcast, from Boundless Audio Network
Sounds Current: Angel Island, from The Creative Imposter Studios

Finalists for Comedians Shaping Culture (Shows)

What Now? With Trevor Noah, from Spotify Studios and DayZero Productions
Carefully Reckless With Jess Hilarious, from iHeartPodcasts
Lovett Or Leave It, from Crooked Media
Seek Treatment With Cat & Pat, from Headgum

Finalists For Curators Shaping Culture (Shows)

Clever, from Clever
The Stoop: Black, Queer And Free, from The Stoop
Finally! A Show About Women That Isn’t A Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare, from Bradley Cooper’s Lea Pictures, iHeartPodcasts and Little Everywhere
Critics At Large, from CoBusinendé Nast
The GAUDS Show, from Ray Daniels Presents
Talkhouse Podcast, from Talkhouse
Belonging To Blackness, from Belonging to Blackness

Finalists for Business People & Entrepreneurs Shaping Culture (Shows)

The Prof G Pod With Scott Galloway, from Vox Media Podcast Network
Masters Of Scale, from WaitWhat
She Pivots, from She Pivots
Bísness School, from NBCUniversal
That Moment With Daymond John, from iHeartPodcasts
Mind The Business, from Ruby, iHeartMedia

Finalists for Best Scripted Fiction (Limited Series)

George Orwell’s 1984, from Audible
The Seneschal, from Netflix
Kerri: Starring Pauline Chalamet, from Meet Cute
OMINOUS THRILL, from Jeff Schmidt Productions
Witness, from Audible
Safe Society, from Christopher Shimojima
Gripped: Second Son, from LiSTNR

Finalists for Best Kids Podcasts (Shows)

Ready, Set, Ride With Elmo, from Audible
Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls, from Rebel Girls
Dora’s Recipe For Adventure, from Paramount
Kaboom: An Audio Adventure Podcast, from BYUradio
Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, from Realm
Little Kids, Big Hearts, from Sparkler Learning
Blippi & Meekah’s Road Trip Podcast, from Moonbug Entertainment
Story Pirates Podcast, from Story Pirates

Finalists for Best Arts & Culture Podcast (Branded Shows & Advertising)

Samsung x Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, from SiriusXM Media and Samsung
Chanel Connects, from Sony Music Entertainment
Edge Of Reason, from The Atlantic and Hauser & Wirth
Roundabout, from Acast and Nissan
About the Journey, from AT WILL MEDIA and Marriott