AudioUK has published the Audio Production Awards 2026 shortlist, naming contenders for the UK awards that honour the producers, presenters and companies behind podcasts, radio, audio drama and audiobooks. The list, released on 26 October 2026, adds a new Executive Producer of the Year award and features several shows that were also winners at the British Podcast Awards earlier this month. Comedian and podcaster Kiri Pritchard-McLean will host the ceremony at BFI Southbank in London on Thursday 26 November.
Audio Production Awards 2026 shortlist: the headlines
The shortlist is split into content categories, such as Comedy, History, News & Politics and True Crime, alongside awards for individuals and for groups or organisations. AudioUK, the trade body that runs the awards, will also present the AudioUK Award for outstanding contribution on the night; that prize is not shortlisted in advance.
The new Executive Producer of the Year category recognises the people who lead and shape productions. Its first shortlist is:
- Becky Green (Audio Always)
- Vicki Blight (Bengo Media)
- Charlotte Mason (Insanity Studios)
- Jack Howson (Peanut & Crumb)
- Paul Thomas (Platform Media)
- Paul Stanworth (Sky News)
Seven companies are in the running for Production Company of the Year: Bengo Media, Bespoken Media, Peanut & Crumb, Penguin Studios, Sony Music Podcasts, Stak and Tandem Productions. The Publisher or Network of the Year shortlist names Fix Radio, Podomedy, Resonance, Rusty Quill and Sony Music Podcasts.
Familiar names from the British Podcast Awards
Several of the shortlisted productions also won at the British Podcast Awards, held at Indigo at The O2 on 1 October:
- The Wargame, from Sky News and Tortoise, which won Best News, Politics & Current Affairs at the British Podcast Awards, is shortlisted in both Factual/Documentary and News & Politics.
- Get Birding, made by Peanut & Crumb, which won Best Lifestyle and Best Video Innovation, appears in Best Use of Video and Lifestyle & Society. Its host, the actor Sean Bean, is shortlisted for Presenter/Host.
- Georgie Styles, the British Podcast Awards’ Rising Star, is shortlisted for both New Producer and New Voice.
- The Prison Radio Association, whose Hold or Fold was named Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards, has teams shortlisted in Branded Content and Music, while National Prison Radio is nominated in Lifestyle & Society.
Presenters and teams in contention
The Presenting Team category brings together some well-known pairings: Chris and Xand van Tulleken (Loftus Media), Elis James and John Robins (Significant Productions), and the Private Eye podcast team of Helen Lewis, Ian Hislop, Adam Macqueen and Andrew Hunter Murray (Rethink Audio). Alongside Sean Bean, the Presenter/Host shortlist includes Elizabeth Day for Sony Music Entertainment.
Fix Radio picks up nominations across several categories, including Comedy, Entertainment, Factual/Documentary, the Changemaker Award and Publisher or Network of the Year. Manchester-based Audio Always, which this month took over production of Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, is also prominent, with nominations in Branded Content, Kids Content, New Producer, Presenting Team and Executive Producer of the Year.
Audiobooks feature strongly too. Penguin Audio and Penguin Random House teams appear in the fiction and non-fiction audiobook categories, and Cush Jumbo is shortlisted for Narrator for her reading of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
What AudioUK said
Chris Baughen, AudioUK’s chief executive, described the list as “a brilliant reflection of the creativity, ambition and talent” in the sector, and congratulated everyone shortlisted ahead of the ceremony.
Why the APAs matter
The British Podcast Awards largely celebrate shows. The Audio Production Awards, now in their sixteenth year, put the spotlight on the people who make them: producers, sound designers, narrators and production companies, many of them freelancers. That makes the shortlist a useful snapshot of which independent production companies and individual makers are doing the work their peers most admire. To widen access, Amazon Music again backed a pay-what-you-can scheme for 2026, under which producers, presenters and production companies could apply for free or discounted entry, with limited places.
The new Executive Producer award, which RadioToday reported is meant to recognise leadership and creative direction, also reflects how the industry has grown up. With podcasts now spreading into video, live events and paid subscriptions, the people who oversee budgets, talent and launches across several platforms play a bigger part in whether a show succeeds. Winners will be announced at BFI Southbank on 26 November.
Sources: PodcastingToday, AudioUK reveals 2026 APAs shortlist and host details (26 October 2026); RadioToday, AudioUK reveals Audio Production Awards shortlist (27 October 2026); Podcast Rex, Amazon Music extends pay-what-you-can scheme for the 2026 Audio Production Awards (27 July 2026); British Podcast Awards via Podnews, British Podcast Awards Winners 2026 (2 October 2026); RadioToday, Prison Radio takes top prize at British Podcast Awards 2026 (2 October 2026); RadioToday, Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place joins Audio Always (13 October 2026).
