Shortlist announced for News Podcast Awards 2026

The first UK awards dedicated exclusively to recognising excellence in news podcast journalism, the awards have been established to celebrate the work of journalists and producers using podcasting to deliver high-quality news and current affairs journalism, says the Society of Editors.

Open earlier this year, the awards invited entries across 10 categories including News Summary Podcast of the Year; Investigative Podcast of the Year; True Crime Podcast of the Year; Showbiz & Entertainment Podcast of the Year; Political Podcast of the Year; Royal Podcast of the Year; Scoop / Interview of the Year; Business & Economy Podcast of the Year; Best Regional or Community Podcast and Podcast of the Year.

Announcing the shortlist, Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said: “Podcasting has become one of the most important ways journalists are informing audiences, scrutinising power and explaining complex issues in depth and the standard of entries for the inaugural awards have been exceptional. Across the UK, journalists and producers are producing brilliant news podcast journalism and we look forward to celebrating their achievements next month.”

News Podcast Awards 2026 shortlist

• FT News Briefing, Financial Times
• Global News Podcast, BBC World Service
• KentOnline Podcast, Iliffe Media
• The BelTel, Belfast Telegraph
• The Intelligence, Economist Podcasts+
• The Story, The Times and The Sunday Times
• Today in Focus, The Guardian

• Foundling, The Observer
• Impulsive, BBC Sounds and Radio 4
• Pipeline: Left to Die, Daily Mail
• The 9/11 Suspect, The Sunday Times
• The Birth Keepers, The Guardian
• The Wargame, Sky News & Tortoise

• Disclosure: Matched with a Predator, BBC Scotland
• Missing in the Amazon, The Guardian
• Murder in the Masai Mara, The Telegraph
• Testimony: The Story that Haunts Me, Manchester Evening News
• The Cruelty: Stolen Generations, BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Scotland
• The Poppy Day Bomb, The Times and The Sunday Times
• The Trial, DMG Media

• Anatomy of a Cancellation, BBC News – Long Form Audio
• Second Act with Ateh Jewel, HELLO! Magazine
• Showbiz Fix, The Sun
• The Rest is Entertainment, Goalhanger
• Top Comment, BBC Sounds

• 100 Days of DOGE, The Weekend Intelligence: The Economist
• Daily Politics, The New Statesman
• Electoral Dysfunction, Sky News
• Politics with Sam and Anne, Sky News and Politico
• Quite Right! The Spectator
• The News Agents, Global
• The Rest is Politics, Goalhanger

• A Right Royal Podcast, HELLO! magazine
• Palace Confidential, Daily Mail
• Pod Save the King, Reach plc
• Royal Exclusive, The Sun
• Talking Royals, ITV News
• The Royals, The Times and The Sunday Times

• Angela Rayner Interview, Electoral Dysfunction, Sky News
• BBC Newsnight also doctored Trump speech, The Daily T, The Telegraph
• Dominic Cummings interview, Quite Right! The Spectator
• New file uncovered in Starmer grooming gangs scandal, Daily Expresso, Daily Express
• Nigel Farage interview, The Mishal Husain Show, Bloomberg
• Sir Jim Ratcliffe interview, The Business, The Times and The Sunday Times

• Boss Class, The Economist
• The Business, The Times and The Sunday Times
• The Business of War: Financing Britain’s Military Rebuild, Bloomberg
• The Economics Show, Financial Times
• The Times Tech Podcast, The Times and The Sunday Times
• Trumponomics, Bloomberg

• Felled, BBC Newcastle
• Scran, The Scotsman
• The BelTel, Belfast Telegraph
• The Buff Podcast, Newsquest
• The Irish History Boys, The Irish News
• The Northern Agenda, Reach plc
• We’ve got your boy, The Bristol Cable

• Foundling, The Observer
• Iran: The Latest, The Telegraph
• Pipeline: Left to Die, Daily Mail
• The House at Number 48, BBC Long Form Audio
• The Trial, DMG Media
• The Wargame, Sky News & Tortoise

The awards will be handed out a lunchtime ceremony on Thursday 18 June 2026 at the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury and presented by Sky News’ lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge. Booking is now open with tickets available at an early-bird booking rate until Friday 22 May 2026. To book or for further information, please contact office@societyofeditors.org.

The awards are sponsored by Allwyn, Vodafone and Octopus Energy.

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