ParaPod Podcast Awards names 2026 nominees and judges

The ParaPod Podcast Awards announced its 2026 nominees and industry judges, with winners set for Oct. 24 in a fourth annual ceremony recognizing paranormal, metaphysical, historical and true-crime shows. The lineup, judges and sponsors signal continued growth for a niche podcast category built around discovery, research and audience engagement.

Why it matters: - The ParaPod Podcast Awards spotlight podcasts in paranormal and unexplained-phenomena categories that often sit outside mainstream awards coverage. - The 2026 class includes creators working across ghost stories, cryptids, metaphysical topics, ancient history, conspiracy investigation and true crime. - Winners will be announced Oct. 24, 2026, giving the event a fixed moment of recognition for a growing niche podcast community.

What happened: - The ParaPod Podcast Awards announced its official 2026 nominees and industry judges for the fourth annual event. - The awards are based in Redlands, California. - Founder Tony Sweet said the awards are meant to recognize creators who inform listeners, challenge assumptions and explore stories and mysteries that might otherwise go unheard. - The 2026 nominees span nine categories: Best Newcomer Podcast, Best Conspiracy Podcast, Best Archaeology / Ancient History Podcast, Best Ghost / Haunting Podcast, Best Metaphysical / Spiritual Podcast, Best Cryptid Podcast, Best Psychic Podcast, Best True Crime Podcast and Best Investigative Podcast.

The details: - Best Newcomer Podcast nominees are Spooky Story Bootique, The Common Anomaly Podcast and Cozy Coven Chats: A Witch's Journey Back to Simplicity. - Best Conspiracy Podcast nominees are The Why Files: Operation Podcast, The Soul Explorers and Occult Symbolism and Pop Culture. - Best Archaeology / Ancient History Podcast nominees are Fall of Civilizations, The Ancients and Shadow Clock | “Child,” Episode 6. - Best Ghost / Haunting Podcast nominees are abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, Tell Me a Ghost Story and Paranormalish. - Best Metaphysical / Spiritual Podcast nominees are ACID FOR SQUARES, Hacking the Afterlife Podcast, Ultra Minds with JK ULTRA and The Witches Movie Coven. - Best Cryptid Podcast nominees are Bigfoot and Beyond with Cliff and Bobo, Monsters Among Us and Blurry Creatures. - Best Psychic Podcast nominees are The Colby Rebel Show, The Psychic and the Doc, Diary of a Psychic Medium and CharVision. - Best True Crime Podcast nominees are The Book of the Dead, Crime Junkie and Morbid. - Best Investigative Podcast nominees are Uintah Basin High Strangeness, Uncanny and Haunted Road. - The judges are Traci Long DeForge, founder and CEO of Produce Your Podcast; Sam Sethi; and David Hoffman, founder and principal of CitizenRacecar. - The judges will evaluate storytelling and content quality, research and subject knowledge, host performance, originality, audio production, consistency, impact and responsible treatment of subject matter. - Spreaker, Triton Digital and iHeartMedia are supporting the awards as official media sponsors. - Sponsors will help provide promotional opportunities, industry recognition and potential consideration for Spreaker Prime. - PodSEO will provide a one-year subscription as one of the 2026 prizes. - Llewellyn Books will provide a special prize for a selected recipient. - ParaPodEvents.com is listed as the site for updates, and the awards also direct followers to @parapodevents on Instagram.

Between the lines: - The awards are positioning paranormal and adjacent genres as a serious podcast category, with judging criteria that emphasize craft as much as subject matter. - The sponsor lineup suggests the event is trying to connect niche creators with distribution, discovery and industry visibility. - The inclusion of both audience-facing creators and industry professionals on the judging panel signals an effort to balance creative appeal with production standards.

What's next: - The next major milestone is the announcement of the winners on Oct. 24, 2026. - The awards will continue promoting nominees and sponsor-backed prizes ahead of the ceremony. - Updates will be shared through ParaPodEvents.com and the @parapodevents Instagram account.

The bottom line: - ParaPod is using its fourth annual awards to give paranormal and unexplained-phenomena podcasts a bigger industry stage while highlighting the judges, sponsors and creators shaping the genre.