Submission Information:

The 2026 Astra Podcast Awards will take place on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 in Los Angeles.

The Astra Podcast Awards are open to all podcasts regardless of country of origin or language. We encourage podcasters from all around the world to participate in the Astra Podcast Awards. All submitted podcasts will be automatically considered for the Podcast of the Year award.

Submissions rates:

Early Bird: $150 – August 19th to September 23rd

Late: $200 – September 24th to September 28th

There are 16 categories to choose from including:

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Beauty
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Books
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Celebrity
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Comedy
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Fashion
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Film
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Game
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Health & Wellness
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Parenting
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Pop Culture
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Science
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Scripted
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Sports
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Topical News
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True Crime
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Television

Official Astra Podcast Awards Timeline:

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Submissions open Wednesday, August 20, 2026 at 8am PT

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Submissions close Monday, September 28, 2026 at 11:59pm PT
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Nomination Committee voting begins on Monday, October 5, 2026 beginning at 8am PT

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Nomination Committee voting ends on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 9pm PT

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Nominations to be announced on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 via press release and across social media beginning at 9am PT.

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The 2026 Astra Podcast Awards Ceremony to take place on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Nomination Rules and Eligibility:

  • Any podcast released on or before September 20, 2026, with a minimum of 5 published episodes is eligible to be submitted and nominated for the 2026 Astra Podcast Awards.

  • Submitted Podcast should have a publicly accessible RSS feed that can be followed/subscribed to.

  • All submissions will be eligible for the Podcast of the Year Award, which will be voted on by the entire HCA membership.

  • Any podcast eligible to be nominated can be submitted via the Astra Awards Submission site until September 25, 2026. All entries must be submitted by that date.

  • Submissions are non-refundable.

  • Podcasts can submitted in as many appropriate categories as the submitter wishes. Each category registration has a separate submission fee of $150, $200, or $250 based on time of entry.

  • Podcasts that do not register are not eligible to participate; a third party can register a show on behalf of another podcast. The registration fee is non-refundable.

The Registration Period :

The 2026 submission window is August 19 to September 28th.

The Nomination Period:

Committee members can view all submissions from the Astra Podcast Awards site and then nominate their favorite registered shows through a web-based form between October 5th and October 11th. Be aware that once a nomination has been made in a specific category, that category will be closed to the nominator, and no changes can be made. Voters will be provided a full list of submitted shows on October 12th.

Number of Nominations:

The number of nominated shows to be selected by the committee will be determined by the number of submissions in each category. There will be no fewer than four nominees and no more than eight based on the total number of submissions.

Astra Podcast Awards Final Voting:

The Astra Podcast Awards final voting will be open to all members of the Hollywood Creative Alliance.

2026 Astra Podcast Awards Ceremony:

The 2026 Astra Podcast Awards ceremony will take place in the Los Angeles area but the venue is still being determined. The date for the ceremony is set for Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The venue will be revealed along with the nominations on October 14th.

Nominees will be able to purchase discounted tickets for the event, which will be made available on October 14, 2026.