Ambies: Podcasts ‘Dirty Diana,’ ‘The Left Right Game,’ ‘Wind of Change’ Top Nominations

The Podcast Academy has released the nominees list for the inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio, or the Ambies.

Podcasts Dirty Diana, The Left Right Game and Wind of Change topped the list with four nods each, leading a nominee pack that also includes Wondery’s Bunga Bunga, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Slate’s Slow Burn and NPR’s Code Switch.

“The Podcast Academy was founded a year ago with the mission to foster inclusivity, elevate awareness and build excitement for podcasts through initiatives, programming and our annual awards,” said Podcast Academy chairman Donald Albright, who works as president and co-founder of Tenderfoot TV. “Today, we celebrate the community with the announcement of our first-ever Ambies nominees. They are just as diverse as the creators, both in front of and behind the mic, and are reflective of the far-reaching medium. On behalf of the membership, we congratulate all of the nominees.”

In a sign of how expansive the podcast industry has become in recent years, the Podcast Academy received more than 1,000 submissions from 358 different companies or individuals. The Ambies nominees list recognizes 164 shows and podcast professionals across 23 categories.

The Podcast Academy formed in early 2020 with the goal of creating an Academy Awards for podcasting. The result is the Ambies, which will stream live May 16. Nominees were selected by a blue ribbon panel made up of more than 100 podcast professionals who are members of the Podcast Academy. Each panelist listened to an average of 35 hours of podcasts over two rounds.

Ambies winners will be announced during a live, hourlong ceremony live streamed on YouTube and Twitch on Sunday, May 16 at 5 p.m. PT.

A complete list of the 2021 Awards for Excellence in Audio nominations is below.

Podcast of The Year
Blockbuster: The Story of James Cameron
Bunga Bunga
Chasing Cosby
DETOURS
Dirty Diana
Dying for Sex
For Life: The Podcast
Forgotten: Women of Juarez
Say Their Name
The Happiness Lab

Best Business Podcast
An Arm and a Leg
Brought to you by …
Go for Broke
Masters of Scale
Teamistry
The Heist
Women at Work

Best Comedy Podcast
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Culture Kings
Don’t Ask Tig
Groceries
How Did This Get Made?
The Breakfast Club
Threedom

Best Documentary Podcast
California City
Conviction Season 2: American Panic
For Life: The Podcast
I’m Not a Monster
Louder Than a Riot
Painkiller: America’s Fentanyl Crisis
The Edge: Houston Astros

Best Entertainment Podcast
Dissect
Even the Rich
For Life: The Podcast
Office Ladies
Prime Video Presents
The First One
The Plot Thickens

Best Fiction Podcast
Asking for It
Blood Ties – Season 2
DEM TIMES
Dirty Diana
Frozen Frights: Aurora Borealis “Vacant”
The Left Right Game
Two Princes

Best History Podcast
American History Tellers
American Scandal
DETOURS
Driving the Green Book
Slow Burn
Unfinished: Deep South
Very Presidential With Ashley Flowers

Best Interview Podcast
A Winning Mindset: Lessons From the Paralympics
Asian Enough
Back From Broken
Death, Sex & Money
More With Anna Maria Tremonti
The FRONTLINE Dispatch
Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller

Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast
American Innovations
Brave New Planet
How to Save a Planet
In Machines We Trust
Short Wave
Tai Asks Why
Unlocking Bryson’s Brain

Best News Podcast
Do No Harm
Post Reports
Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN Files
The Journal
Today, Explained
VICE News Reports
What Next

Best Original Score and Music Supervision
Bunga Bunga — Scott Velasquez, Jeff Schmidt
Dead and Gone — Makeup and Vanity Set
Jacked: Rise of New Jack Sound — Marcelino Villalpando
Revisionist History — Luis Guerra
Throughline — Ramtin Arablouei, Drop Electric, Hania Rani
Treasure Island 2020 — Chris Tarry, Jennifer Rowekamp
Two Princes — Score: Greg Laswell; Theme and additional scoring by Bobby Lord; Music Supervision: Jonathon Roberts

Best Performer in Audio Fiction
DUST, Season 3: CHRYSALIS — Corey Hawkins
Hank the Cowdog — Matthew McConaughey
Light House — Aly Trasher
National Geographic Kids Greeking Out — Kenny Curtis, Tori Kerr
The Left Right Game — Tessa Thompson
Two Princes — Noah Galvin, Ari’el Stachel, Samira Wiley, Gideon Glick, Wesley Taylor, Alfredo Narciso, Mandi Masden, CJ Wilson, Michelle Gomez
We Are Not Alone — Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast
Borne the Battle
Dare to Lead With Brené Brown
Dear Therapists
Hey Spirit!
Meditative Story
On Being With Krista Tippett
Stay Calm With Bob Roth

Best Podcast Host
Amicus Presents: The Class of RBG — Dahlia Lithwick
Back Issue — Josh Gwynn, Tracy Clayton
Bunga Bunga — Whitney Cummings
MOBITUARIES: Anna May Wong (Death of a Trailblazer) — Mo Rocca
Revisionist History — Malcolm Gladwell
Science Vs — Wendy Zukerman
Wind of Change — Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Politics or Opinion Podcast
Burn the Boats
Gaining Ground: The New Georgia
Our Nation of Immigrants
Politically Re-Active
The Dan Bongino Show
The NPR Politics Podcast
Winning Wisconsin

Best Production and Sound Design
Canary: The Washington Post Investigates — Bishop Sand
Conviction: American Panic — Matthew Boll
Dirty Diana — Millie Iatrou, Ryan Walsh, Katie Halliday, Justin Davey, Matt Yocum & Ben Michev, Neely Oeftering
The Left Right Game — Ryan Walsh, Matt Yocum, Will Files, Ryan Sullivan
Unfinished: Short Creek — John DeLore
Where is George Gibney? — Ger McDonnell
Wind of Change — Henry Molofsky

Best Reporting
Fiasco: Iran-Contra — Leon Neyfakh
I’m Not a Monster — Josh Baker
Planet Money — Sarah Gonzalez, Kenny Malone, Jacob Goldstein, Robert Smith, Amanda Aroncyzk, Karen Duffin, Mary Childs
Reveal — Shoshana Walter, Laura Starecheski, Ike Srikandarajah
The Take — Malika Bilal, Stefanie Dekker, Safwat al-Kahlout
Unfinished: Short Creek — Sarah Ventre, Ash Sanders
Wind of Change — Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Scriptwriting, Fiction
Appearances — Sharon Mashihi
DEM TIMES — Rhys Reed-Johnson, Jacob Roberts-Mensah
Dirty Diana — Shana Feste
Looking for Latoya — Amy Aniobi, Chris Sanford, Kindsey Young
Make It Up as We Go — David Hudgins, Brooks Hudgins
National Geographic Kids Greeking Out — Kenny Curtis, Jillian Hughes, Emily Everhart
The Left Right Game — Jack Anderson

Best Scriptwriting, Nonfiction
And Nothing Less — Robin Linn
Heavyweight — Jonathan Goldstein, Kalila Holt, Stevie Lane
Masters of Scale — WaitWhat Team, Adam Skuse, Katie Clark Gray
Resistance — Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr.
Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN Files — Jonathan Menjivar, Jenelle Pifer, Joel Lovell
Whistleblower — Tim Livingston
Wind of Change — Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Society and Culture Podcast
Code Switch
Ear Hustle
Heavyweight
Into America
Latino USA
Resistance
You and Me Both With Hillary Clinton

Best Sports Podcast
17 Weeks
Drafted
Sports Uncovered
The Cam Chronicles
The Edge: Houston Astros
The Lead
Whistleblower

Best True Crime Podcast
Brainwashed/Uncover
Chasing Cosby
Dr. Death Season 2: Dr. Fata
I’m Not a Monster
Somebody
Supernatural With Ashley Flowers
The Messenger

Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast
Adult ISH
Dying for Sex
Last Day Season 2
The Happiness Lab
Therapy for Black Girls
We Got You
Where Should We Begin?