Recognized: Credibility, Controversy & Craft

Welcome to Recognized — a new publication exploring the systems, stories, and strategies behind awards and recognition.

Behind the Awards: Coming Soon

We’ve received comments from and spoken to many of the audio and podcast awards featured in this issue and are actively looking to connect with others to bring you insider perspectives on recognition.

If you run an award organization or know one doing interesting work, reply to this newsletter or reach out on LinkedIn.

Golden Globes Podcast Nominees: “Playing It Safe”

The inaugural best podcast award nominated six titles: Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess and Up First.

The Joe Rogan Experience did not receive a nomination despite topping Spotify, Apple and YouTube‘s weekly podcast charts this year. None of the political podcasts received nominations.

The winners will be announced at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2026.

Our take: The Golden Globes introduced a “Best Podcast” category without publishing judging criteria and without any visible podcast industry experts on the judging panel. The result was a shortlist dominated by celebrity-hosted shows—Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, and SmartLess—while The Joe Rogan Experience, the most listened-to podcast in America, was excluded entirely. Notably absent as well: high-value productions like Acquired, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Darknet Diaries that represent podcasting’s creative and journalistic excellence.

These celebrity shows have their place, but the only category they should legitimately compete in is “Best Celebrity Has a Podcast”—not “Best Podcast.

So what exactly were they judging? Without transparent criteria, it’s impossible to know whether this award recognizes popularity, production quality, cultural impact, or simply name recognition.

The Golden Globes didn’t validate podcasting as a serious medium—they exposed how little they understand it. The category feels less like an award for excellence and more like a branding exercise designed to borrow relevance from podcasting while refusing to engage with what actually drives the industry.

The Game Awards: Historic Indie Sweep

On December 11, 2025, The Game Awards saw Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an independent French game from 30-person studio Sandfall Interactive, sweep the ceremony with wins including Game of the Year and four major craft awards. The team flew from France and attended in matching French black-and-white striped shirts with red berets—an outfit that started as a joke.

This marked a historic moment: 2025 was the first year in which multiple Game of the Year nominees were independent games, representing a 50/50 split between indie and AAA titles.

Sources: Wikipedia

YouTube’s Two-Tier Recognition System

In August 2024, YouTube quietly introduced lighter, smaller, cheaper-looking Creator Awards for most creators—framed as a “practical shipping solution.” At the same time, the platform has been crafting custom awards for ultra-elite creators like MrBeast, who has received bespoke plaques for 200 million, 300 million, and 400 million subscriber milestones featuring yellow, green, and blue centerpieces. As of August 2025, only two creators—T-Series and MrBeast—are eligible for these premium awards.

Sources: YouTube Creator Awards Help, Society Awards

Podcasting Awards Roundup

Podcast Hall of Fame 2026 Inductees

The Podcast Hall of Fame announced its 2026 inductees, and we’re particularly excited to see Mark Asquith, Founder of Captivate (our preferred hosting company) on the list. Asquith has been helping podcasters build their audio influence since 2013 and is known for his customer service-first approach to podcast hosting.

Other notable inductees:

James Cridland, Editor of Podnews

Pat Flynn, Founder of Smart Passive Income

The induction ceremony takes place on January 16, 2026 at Podfest Expo in Orlando, Florida, with the video to be released online January 19, 2026.

Shout out to Rob Greenlee, Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame and 2017 inductee, for his continued work elevating podcasting pioneers. We interviewed Rob earlier this year and will be sharing insights from that conversation in our upcoming multimedia series.

Interesting note: Pat Flynn’s YouTube channel Deep Pocket Monster (focused on Pokémon cards) has grown a substantially larger audience than his SPI audience, with nearly 4.5 million subscribers across his two YouTube channels.

Sources: Podnews, Podcast Hall of Fame

Australian Audio Awards Launching May 2026

The Australian Audio Awards will launch on May 28, 2026, combining radio and podcast recognition. The program is a partnership between Mumbrella, Radioinfo, and RadioToday, with RadioToday’s previous podcast awards becoming part of this expanded competition.

AudioUK Seeks New CEO

AudioUK, the UK trade body representing the audio and podcast industry and organizers of the (APAs), searched for a new Chief Executive Officer. This was one of the most unique podcasting opportunities of 2025—a chance to lead a national trade organization shaping policy, running major awards programs, and advocating for the industry.

The role was remote (UK-based), 3-4 days per week with potential for job share, and the application deadline closed December 9, 2025.

Sources: AudioUK

NYC Podcast Awards Launch

Just days after the Golden Globes podcast nominations, the NYC Podcast Awards (also called “The Libby Awards”) launched in December 2025, positioning itself in direct opposition to “the download-first culture dominating podcasting.

Submissions opened October 1, 2025, with a final deadline of January 10, 2026. The awards are open globally (English language) but the ceremony takes place March 13, 2026 in New York City.

We reached out to organizers and are waiting to receive a comment.

Sources: Podnews, NYC Podcast Awards Official Site

December 2025 Ceremonies Recap

Nobel Prize Ceremonies

December 10, 2025 | Stockholm, Sweden

The 2025 Nobel Prizes were awarded on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel‘s death. In Stockholm, laureates received awards for groundbreaking work including discoveries in quantum mechanics, molecular constructions, and peripheral immune tolerance.

Sources: NobelPrize.org

FIA Awards Ceremony

December 12, 2025 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Lando Norris collected the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship trophy as he was formally crowned 2025 world champion, becoming the 35th F1 world champion. Max Verstappen, who finished second, did not travel to Tashkent on doctor’s advice due to illness but sent a congratulatory video message. McLaren also collected the Constructors’ Championship trophy, marking their first drivers’ and constructors’ double since 1998.

Beyond F1, the ceremony honored World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship (Oliver Rowland and Porsche took Formula E titles), and karting achievements. Special awards included Action of the Year, Rookie of the Year (Rafael Câmara), and Outstanding Official.

The FIA introduced two new President’s Awards: Excellence in Communication (won by SEMA for its advocacy defending vehicle choice freedom) and National Motorsport Achievement (won by Svenska Bilsportförbundet for its ‘Biodiversity and Motorsport – Racing for Nature’ project).

Sources: Sky Sports F1, Motorsport.com, FIA

Film & Television Awards Activity

Costume Designers Guild Awards Nominations

December 12, 2025 | Ceremony: February 12, 2026 at The Ebell of Los Angeles

The 28th Annual CDG Awards unveiled nominations with titles ranging from big hits like Wicked: For Good, Sinners, One Battle After Another, Weapons and F1 to specialty fare including Hamnet, Hedda and Bugonia. TV nominees include Emmy winners Andor, The Studio, Hacks, and SNL50: The Anniversary Special.

Film categories are divided into Contemporary (Bugonia, F1, One Battle After Another), Period (Frankenstein, Hamnet, Sinners), and Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wicked: For Good, Thunderbolts*). Sinners and Weapons are double nominees.

Since 1999, the Academy Award for Costume Design has gone to a period film every year but four. Last year, Paul Tazewell won both the CDG and Oscar for Wicked.

Sources: CDG Official Site, Deadline

Producers Guild Awards Nominations

December 9 & 12, 2025 | Ceremony: February 28, 2026 at Fairmont Century Plaza

The 37th Annual PGA Awards announced nominations in specialty categories:

Documentary nominees: Cover-Up, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, and Ocean with David Attenborough.

Sports nominees: 100 Foot Wave, Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills, Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and Surf Girls: International.

Children’s nominees: Returning winner Sesame Street, Phineas and Ferb, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.

PGA Innovation Award finalists (announced Feb 26): Asteroid (Doug Liman/Google), Big Wave: No Room for Error (Cosm), D-Day: The Camera Soldier, Territory, and The Wizard of Oz at Sphere.

Honorees: Amy Pascal (David O. Selznick Award), Mara Brock Akil (Norman Lear Award), Jason Blum (Milestone Award).

Sources: PGA Official, Deadline

Regional Film Critics Awards

December 12-15, 2025

Various regional film critics societies announced winners throughout mid-December, providing early indicators of awards season momentum:

St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA)

Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS)

Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS)

San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS)

London Film Critics Circle (LFCC)

New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO)

Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA)

Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS)

Sources: AwardsWatch

Family Film & TV Awards

December 13, 2025

Recognizing family-friendly entertainment across film and television.

Upcoming: Key Deadlines & Events

This Month

December 16, 2025

Oscar Shortlists - The Academy announces shortlists across 10 categories: International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Animated Short, Live Action Short, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, and Visual Effects

USC Scripter Awards Nominations - Honoring both the author of the original literary work and the screenwriter of the adaptation

Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards (SCL) Nominations - Excellence in film, television, and video game music composition

Satellite Awards Nominations - International Press Academy recognizing film and television

December 27, 2025

Gadgety Awards: Best of CES 2026 - Submission deadline for consumer electronics excellence. Winners announced during CES 2026 (January 2026)

December 29, 2025

Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards (MUAHS) Nominations - Excellence in makeup and hairstyling for film, television, and commercials

January 2026 Preview

January 3: Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala

January 4: Critics Choice Awards (Los Angeles)

January 11: 83rd Golden Globe Awards (Los Angeles) - First-ever Best Podcast winner announced

January 16: Podcast Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Orlando, Florida)

January 22: Oscar Nominations Announcement

January 22-February 1: Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah) - Final year in Utah after 40+ years