Rules & Regulations

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REGISTERING AS A NOMINEE:

• Nominate yourself as a podcatsers, broadcaster, producer or expert guest.
• ONE NOMINEE: Nominations are per person, not per show. 1 person, 1 show, and 1 category per nomination. Nominations are not per show, not per person. For example, if you co-host a podcast or broadcast, each host needs to register who is interested in being nominated for an award. Likewise, producers would submit a separate nomination than the host or podcaster.
• "NOMINEE" refers to Podcaster, Broadcaster, Producer or Expert Guest. A Podcast must be the host and owner of a specific podcast (RSS Feed). A Broadcaster must be the host and owner of a specific broadcast (A show with no podcast RSS Feed). Producers may produce multiple shows, and can mention them briefly as part of their bio in their form submission. See additional requirements for Podcaster, Broadcaster, Producer and Expert Guests below.
• YOUR PAYMENT: Payments are in US funds via credit card or PayPal. There are no refunds on nomination payments. Payments include 1 nomination form per person per category. The initial payment does not include revisions. There is an extra fee for requesting revisions.
• YOUR REGISTRATION: Upon submitting payment, you will be directed to the nominee form. You must fill out the registration form in full with all the needed details to complete your nomination. If the form is not filled out within 5 days of your purchase, we will be unable to set up your nomination page, and your nomination will not proceed to the next step.
• NOMINEE LISTINGS: Your nomination page will normally be processed within a week of receiving your completed nomination form.
• YOUR AGREEMENT: Each nominee must submit their registration form themselves, not through a 3rd party. The reason is because the nominee must personally commit to the declarations and agreements directly themselves. Our group is about podcasters connecting directly with other podcasters and expert guests, so we do not allow reps or Vas.
• YOUR EMAIL: We will need to contact you throughout the nominee and awards process with instructions and other important updates, so please be sure to provide an active email address in your application.
• YOUR CONTENT: Podcast descriptions and bios must be 75 words or less. It must be fulled edited and within the word count to be accepted. If you submit more than 75 words, it will just be cut off at the 75 words. Editing is not included in the fee. You need help creating a concise description, GO HERE.
• YOUR IMAGES: Your headshot and cover art must be a square and no larger than 1080x1080. If they are the wrong dimensions, your images will not be included. A fee will be charged for adding other images.
• NOTE: There is a fee for requesting modifications to your nominee page, such as changes to your bio, podcast description, images or links. With that in mind, we recommend gathering your details before filling out the nomination registration.
• RECOMMENDATIONS: Choose only one category per podcast. Otherwise, your vote will be split. People can only vote for one nominee per category.

TELL YOUR AUDIENCE:

• Tell your audience your category and how to vote for you.
• Let you audience know that it's one vote per person / per email address.
• It is free to vote.
• You can find content on the nominee resources page to help you with sharing. The link to the nominee resources is emailed to you upon registering your nomination.
• Upon submitting your nomination, we will provide images and content for you to adapt & share with your audience and community.

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS OPPORTUNITY:

• The Women Podcasters Awards event is an engagement strategy. It generates interest, commitment & loyalty.
• Sharing your nomination and asking your audience for votes builds your credibility, fosters engagement and generates good will.
• With that in mind, we highly recommend using this as a list building and community building opportunity with your audience. You can offer your audience an extra bonus or other incentives when they vote for you, such as a lead magnet, further building loyalty and community.
• We will be providing a complimentary training to nominees who want to learn more about building their list. Even if you’ve never tried it before, this is a great opportunity. Systeme io is a free resource that you can use to start building your list with a very simple funnel.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO WIN:

• The podcast with the most votes in a category will win the awards for that category.
• Winners are based on the highest volume of votes.
• Get as many people to vote for your podcast as possible.
• Share your nomination with your audience during the Voting – Phase #2 from May 1st to May 31, 2024.
• Awards will be presented to the nominee directly at an online awards ceremony. Not a 3rd party.

IMPORTANT: Please review the rules, requirements, eligibility, and timeline before submitting your nomination application:

• Nomination Registration fees are non-refundable.
• Nominees must identify as a woman or non-binary persons to be eligible for nominations.
• The person submitting the nomination must be the person being nominated. The podcater, broadcaster, producer, or expert guest must register the nomination and agree to the terms of participating in the awards.
• The Women in Podcasting Awards are International and open to all English speaking women podcasters, broadcasters and expert guests.
• Topic categories are for podcasters only.
• The category you choose must align with the content of your podcast or show.
• Broadcast, Producer and Expert Guest nominations are categories in themselves.

Podcast Nominees:

• Podcasters must have a minimum of 5 published episodes.
• To be a Podcaster nominee, the podcast must have a publicly accessible RSS feed that can be followed/subscribed to. That means that it is hosted by a known podcast host, for example: Captivate, Libsyn, Buzzfeed, or the like. Your RSS feed is provided by your podcast host.
• You can have an audio and video podcast, but you must have an RSS feed to be a Podcaster nominee.

Broadcast Nominees:

• Broadcasters must have a minimum of 5 published episodes.
• The Broadcast Category is for those with shows that have no RSS feed.
• This category is for channels, such as those on Youtube or TikTok.

Producer Nominees:

• Producers must have a minimum of 10 published episodes.
• The Producer Category is for those working behind the scenes, such as producers and editors.

Expert Guest Nominees:

• Expert Guests must have been on a minimum of 5 published episodes speaking about their area of expertise.

Voters:

• One voting form per person / email address.
• Everyone is eligible to be a voter.
• All genders are welcome to vote.
• It is free to vote.

Sponsors:

• Sponsors will be highlighted ton our sponsors page.
• Special mentions in social posts & emails.
• Sponsors cannot enter the awards competition.
• You do not necessarily have to be in the podcasting or broadcatsing industry to be a sponsor. If podcasters, bradcasters, speakers, coaches or creators are your ideal audience, then you will find this to be a great visibility opportunity.
• Sponsors cannot be both nominees and sponsors.

Sharing:

• Only nominate yourself if you are willing to share about your nomination and ask for votes.
• While waiting for Phase 2: Voting Time, nominees are welcome to share about their nomination.
• When it's time for voting, nominees will ask their audiences to vote for them.
• Nominess will share their nomination on their socials, in their communities and through their email lists.
• Nominees will provide instructions to their audience on how and where to vote, and any other information applicable to inspiring people to vote.

Not Allowed:

• Automated programs or technology-assisted voting mechanisms - not permitted. If automated entries are detected, the nominee with the automated nominations will be removed.
• Badmouthing or slandering the Women Podcasters Awards - not permitted.

Disqualifications:

Women in Podcasting Network leaders reserve the right to:

• Remove any nominees who violate the purpose of the awards or use forbidden methods to automate nominations or voting.
• Disqualify any show or network of shows the committee feels violates the purpose of the Women in Podcasting Awards or brings discredit to the awards.
• Remove incomplete applications.
• Remove mis-categorized podcasts.
• Disqualify any show on the grounds of hate speech or violence. While we strongly support freedom of speech, we will not tolerate hate speech and or violence against others.
• Amend the list of forbidden activities at any time throughout the awards process.
• Disqualification will result in forfeiture of the registration fee and lifetime suspensions from future participation.
• We will attempt to contact you about any of the above situations, so be sure to provide an active email address in your application.