The Wonder of Stevie, A podcast focused on legendary musicians. Stevie Wonder , was awarded the prize for Best Entertainment Podcast at the fifth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies). The accolades were conferred on Monday (March 31) during a ceremony held at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, where comedian Tig Notaro acting as the host. The honors are determined through votes cast by members of The Podcast Academy.
Las Culturistas featuring Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang won best comedy podcast. Bowen Yang has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy awards for his contributions to Saturday Night Live .
Hysterical, which explores a mass psychogenic illness that occurred in 2011 to some cheerleaders in Le Roy, N.Y., won podcast of the year and best reporting (for Dan Taberski).
Ira Glass was bestowed with the Governors Award, acknowledging a podcast or individual who has significantly influenced the industry; meanwhile, Sam Sanders was presented with the Impact Award, recognizing an individual or podcast that has positively impacted its audience.
Ronan Farrow, Jon Cryer, Matt Rogers, and Meena Harris were some of the presenters and guests who attended the event.
Below are the nominees for The 2025 Ambies in categories most pertinent to the music and entertainment sectors, with the victors highlighted.
Podcast of the year
99% Invisible: Not Designed for This
Beyond All Repair
Cement City
Dragon Age: Oaths and Retaliation
Empire City: The Hidden Beginnings of the NYPD
Faraway
Fire Escape
Hot White Heist 2
WINNER: Hysterical, Wonderly, part of Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios
Throughline
Best entertainment podcast
Infamous
Lemme Say This
Rattled & Shook
Scamfluencers
Split Screen: Kid Nation
The Road to Joni
WINNER: The Wonder of Stevie, Audible, Higher Ground, and Pineapple Street Studios
Top podcast presenter or presenters
Diallo Riddle and Blake 'LUXXURY' Robin – One Song
Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle – We Are Capable of Tackling Difficult Challenges
Jon Stewart – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Rainn Wilson – Radio Rental
WINNER: Ronald Young Jr. – Weight for It, ohitsBigRon studios LLC
Sam Sanders – The Sam Sanders Show
Wesley Morris – The Wonder of Stevie
Outstanding original score and music coordination
WINNER: Dan Leone – Ripple, Western Sound, APM Studios
Daniel Lloyd-Evans, Louis Nanke-Mannell, and Toby Matimong – Extrasensory
Deron Johnson – Dungeon Masters
Jonathan Pfarr, Carson Graham, and Bobby Mota – Celebrity Pets
Peter Nashel, Ross Hopman, Gio Lobato, Dana Hom, Brad Fischer, Jordan Lieb, Lucas Villemur, and Lindsay Dievert – Seamless Chronicles: A True Crime Podcaster’s Journey in a Fantastical Realm
Skyler Gerdeman, Martin Lynabel, Nicholas Alexander, Max O'Brien, and Caroline Thornham – Kill List
Stro Elliott and Eric Gersen – Historical Records
Top-notch production and audio engineering
Casandara Tinajero and Andr̩s Bahena РNocturno: Stories from the Darkness
Jeremy S. Bloom – Hot White Heist 2
Kenny Kusiak and George Drabing Hicks The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi
WINNER: Michelle Macklem – Girl v. Horse, ESPN Podcasts, 30 for 30 Series Audio Shows
Realm – Narcosis
Sagafilm along with Skybound Entertainment – Impact Winter Season 3
Ted Bonnitt – Hindsight: The Day Before
Top podcasts for Society and Culture
Hysterical
Reflecting Back with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett
WINNER: Inheriting , LAist Studios
Look After Your Own Business with Lupita Nyong'o
My Divo
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)
Weight For It
Best podcast for kids
Culture Kids
Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest
Historical Records
Mysteries About True Histories
PJ Library Presents: Behind the Bookshelf
Skylar & Bones – Hilarious Tales for Children!
WINNER: Wow in the World Wondery, Tinkercast
Top Spanish-language storytelling podcast – whether fictional or factual
¡No Vengan!
Greal: The Secret of Eight Keys
Hechos Reales
WINNER: HUMO: Violence and Silence in El Salvador Sonoro
No quieren que sepas
Pantallas & Mentiras [Screens & Lies]
Pétrea
Best sports podcast
30 for 30 Podcasts
WINNER: Broomgate : A Curling Scandal , Kelly&Kelly, CBC Podcasts, USG Audio, and Pacific Electric
Great Games with Sarah Spain
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Shadowball: The Emergence of African American Athletes
The Raven
The Rich Eisen Show
Best comedy podcast
Conan O'Brien Is Looking for Companionship
Hot White Heist 2
WINNER: Las Culturistas featuring Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang iHeartPodcasts, Big Money Player
Scam Goddess
SmartLess
We're Here to Help
Who Substituted Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Explores This Mystery
Best indie podcast
Sightings
The Insurgence: Sheriffs
The Man Who Calculated Death
The Nightingale of Iran
The People's Recorder
The TMI Project Story Hour
WINNER What occurred in Skinner? Mazama Entertainment
Top independent podcast host or hosts
WINNER: Dallas Taylor – Twenty Thousand Hertz, Defacto Sound
Deja Perkins and Purbita Saha – Bring Birds Back
Jill Jonassen – The Cost of Extremism
Kate McCoy and Kevin Corbett Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
Lisa Phillips – From Now On
Lisa Woolfork – STITCH PLEASE
Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson – 80s TV Ladies
Best interview podcast
American Masters: Creative Spark
Apple News in Conversation
Neglected: Women's Health Isn't Waiting
WINNER Thanks Dad starring Ego Nwodim Headgum
The Assignment featuring Audie Cornish
The Integrated Schools Podcast
Tomorrow's Cure
Top-notch delivery in auditory storytelling
Bowen Yang, Cynthia Nixon, Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch, Jesse James Keitel, Sarah Steele, Ian McKellen, Raul Esparza, Sara Ramirez, Joel Kim Booster, Bianca del Rio, Cheyenne Jackson, Abbi Jacobson, Stephanie Beatriz, Katya Zamolodchikova, Trixie Mattel, Yvie Oddly, Jane Krakowski, Sandra Oh, and Tony Kushner – Hot White Heist 2
WINNER: Caitlin Stasey, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, David Yow, Caroline Morahan, Guinevere Turner, Elizabeth Halpern, Travis Harmon, Brad Griffith, James Bacon, Jameson Cush, Jonathan Shockley, Ayla Glass, and Chris Goodwin – The Skies Are Watching , Goldhawk Productions
Fredi Bernstein, Cody Wilkins, and Dana Domenick – The Box
Mikki Hernandez, Toby Meuli, Geri-Nikol Love, Rachel Kylian – Ominous Thrill
Ruth Righi – Winnie Taylor's 4th & Inches
Sanaa Lathan – The Justice
Tisha Campbell – Snoriezzz
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