# Ambies

The Ambies (or the Awards for Excellence in Audio, more formally) are a series of awards given in the podcast industry. They are awarded by the Podcast Academy in two overall categories: Show Recognition and Talent Recognition. The winners, who receive a gold statue holding a microphone and wearing headphones, are selected by a vote from Podcast Academy members. The awards and the Podcast Academy were established in 2020 with the inaugural ceremony held on May 16, 2021, hosted by Cameron Esposito.

## History

In February 2020, Hernan Lopez at Wondery announced that he and 10 peers had established a new non-profit group called the Podcast Academy. The Podcast Academy is a member-based professional organization for podcasters. It was modeled after other similar institutions in the entertainment industry with the intention of establishing an independent industry award for podcasting, initially called the Golden Mics. When the Podcast Academy announced plans to hold the first award ceremony amidst the awards season of other entertainment areas, the name was changed to the Awards for Excellence in Audio, nicknamed the Ambies, and award was revealed to be a gold statue holding a microphone and wearing headphones. The term Ambies was derived from ambient sound, which is frequently used in audio recordings, and it has a similar sound to other awards such as the Emmys and Grammys.

## Selection process

Nominations are first recommended for consideration within a submission window, and then narrowed down to an official list of nominees for voting. A minimum of three episodes published in the award year are required to be eligible for consideration. From those recommendations, a panel of Podcast Academy members listen to podcasts for a period of time before selecting the nominees for voting in each category. Members of the Podcast Academy are organized into peer groups in order to vote on the winners from the selected nominees, which are announced at the live ceremony.

## 2021 awards
### Podcasts

| Podcast of the Year Dying for Sex Blockbuster: The Story of James Cameron (Miniseries) Bunga Bunga Chasing Cosby Detours Dirty Diana For Life: The Podcast Forgotten: Women of Juarez Say Their Name The Happiness Lab | Best Documentary Podcast I'm Not A Monster California City Conviction Season 2: American Panic For Life: The Podcast Louder Than a Riot Painkiller: America's Fentanyl Crisis The Edge: Houston Astros |
| Best Interview Podcast Death, Sex & Money A Winning Mindset: Lessons From The Paralympics Asian Enough Back from Broken More With Anna Maria Tremonti The Frontline Dispatch Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller | 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 News Podcast Today, Explained Do No Harm Post Reports Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN Files The Journal Vice News Reports What Next | Best Sports Podcast Whistleblower 17 Weeks Drafted Sports Uncovered The Cam Chronicles The Edge: Houston Astros The Lead |
| Best True Crime Podcast Dr. Death Season 2: Dr. Fata Brainwashed/Uncover Chasing Cosby I'm Not A Monster Somebody Supernatural with Ashley Flowers The Messenger | Best Business Podcast The Heist An Arm and a Leg Brought to You by… Go For Broke Masters of Scale Teamistry Women at Work |
| Best Fiction Podcast Blood Ties – Season 2 Asking For It Dem Times Dirty Diana Frozen Frights: Aurora Borealis “Vacant” The Left Right Game The Two Princes | Best History Podcast Driving the Green Book American History Tellers American Scandal Detours Slow Burn Unfinished: Deep South Very Presidential with Ashley Flowers |
| Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast Short Wave American Innovations Brave New Planet How to Save a Planet In Machines We Trust Tai Asks Why Unlocking Bryson's Brain | Best Society and Culture Podcast Code Switch Ear Hustle Heavyweight Into America Latino USA Resistance You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton |
| Best Politics or Opinion Podcast Gaining Ground: The New Georgia Burn the Boats Our Nation of Immigrants Politically Re-Active The Dan Bongino Show The NPR Politics Podcast Winning Wisconsin | Best Entertainment Podcast Even the Rich Dissect For Life: The Podcast Office Ladies Prime Video Presents The First One The Plot Thickens |
| Best Personal Growth/Spirituality Podcast On Being with Krista Tippett Borne the Battle Dare to Lead with Brené Brown Dear Therapists Hey Spirit! Meditative Story Stay Calm with Bob Roth | Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast Therapy for Black Girls Adult ISH Dying for Sex Last Day Season 2 The Happiness Lab We Got You Where Should We Begin? |

### Podcasters and talent

| Best Podcast Host Wind of Change – Patrick Radden Keefe 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 | Best Reporting Wind of Change – Patrick Radden Keefe 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 |
| Best Scriptwriting, Fiction Dirty Diana – Shana Feste, Jen Besser Appearances – Sharon Mashihi Dem Times – Rhys Reed-Johnson, Jacob Roberts-Mensah 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 Wind of Change – Patrick Radden Keefe 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 |
| Best Production and Sound Design The Left Right Game – Ryan Walsh, Matt Yocum, Will Files, Ryan Sullivan 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 Unfinished: Short Creek – John DeLore Where is George Gibney? – Ger McDonnell Wind of Change – Henry Molofsky | Best Original Score and Music Supervision Jacked: Rise of New Jack Sound – Marcelino Villalpando Bunga Bunga – Scott Velasquez, Jeff Schmidt Dead and Gone – Makeup And Vanity Set Revisionist History – Luis Guerra Throughline – Ramtin Arablouei, Drop Electric, Hania Rani Treasure Island 2020 – Chris Tarry, Jennifer Rowekamp The Two Princes – Score: Greg Laswell; Theme and additional scoring by Bobby Lord; Music Supervision: Jonathon Roberts |
| Best Performer in Audio Fiction The Left Right Game – Tessa Thompson 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 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 | Governors Award WTF with Marc Maron – Marc Maron, Brendan McDonald |