AmericanWritingAwards.com Announces Winners of the 2026 Podcast of the Year Awards
Grand Prize Honors Go to abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, February 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ --
🎙️ GRAND PRIZE WINNER
PODCAST OF THE YEAR 2026
abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
Host: Blake Pfeil
Listen: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.html
The Grand Prize for Overall Podcast of the Year has been awarded to abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, hosted by Blake Pfeil.
Intentionally styled with a lowercase “a,” abandoned guides listeners through immersive audio experiences that recreate Pfeil’s explorations of abandoned spaces across the United States and around the world. Through cinematic sound design and deeply reflective storytelling, the podcast examines American history and culture, community, economics, the environment, and mental health—encouraging listeners to activate their imaginations as tools for reflection and healing.
Judges praised the podcast for its originality, emotional depth, and powerful cultural insight.
2026 CATEGORY WINNERS
Best Female Hosted
• Beyond My Years — Ana Torres
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-my-years/id1754361513
• On the Table with Ashley — Ashley Gould
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-table-with-ashley/id1719184248
Education
• Science of Reading: The Podcast — Susan Lambert
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/science-of-reading-the-podcast/id1483513974
Adventure & Travel
• abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast — Blake Pfeil
https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast
Personal Journeys
• abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast — Blake Pfeil
https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast
Parenting
• This is Now: Parenting Teens Today — Tiffany Dhooge
https://childrensharbor.org/podcast/
Kids & Family
• Spill the Tea with Virginia Lee: Secrets of High Achieving Teens — Virginia Lee
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spill-the-tea-the-secrets-of-high-achieving-teens/id1768118748
Science
• Whimsical Wavelengths – A Science Podcast — Dr. Jeffrey Zurek
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-impact/id1519411454
Social Change
• Stories of Impact — Tavia Gilbert
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-impact/id1519411454
Motivation & Success
• No Ordinary Monday — Chris Baron
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-ordinary-monday/id1830965307
Interview Style
• Race Of Your Own — Vergi Rodriguez
https://www.youtube.com/@raceofyourown/videos
Self Improvement & Wellness
• The Latitude Adjustment: An Aging Heroes Podcast — Randolph “Rusty” Harrison & Erica Schwarting Harrison
https://open.spotify.com/show/2rzmuAwbxPkYszRvToaRof
Finance & Investing
• Escape The Clock: How to Become Financially Free and Have the Option Not to Work — Daniel C. Rodgers
www.escapetheclock.com/podcast
Religion & Spirituality
• The Medic and the Mufti Podcast: Big Questions About the Human Being – Islam and Biomedicine in Dialogue — Dr. Aasim I. Padela
https://medicineandislam.org/the-medic-and-the-mufti/
Best Male Hosted
• Stories from Real Life — Melvin E. Edwards
https://www.podpage.com/stories-from-real-life/
Horror & Paranormal
• Believing the Bizarre: Paranormal Podcast — Charles Leopold & Tyler Perry
https://believingthebizarre.com/
Business
• Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle — Estelle Erasmus
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freelance-writing-direct-with-estelle-conversations/id1647429472
• The Best of Book Marketing Podcast — Lainey Cameron & Paulette Stout
https://www.bestofbookmarketing.com
Health
• Grieving Parents Sharing Hope — Laura Diehl
https://www.gpshope.org/
Society & Culture
• Brave Blocks — Greg Bernard
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4f3039a3-a5c7-42a8-ade6-afab97851a5d/brave-blocks
• The Fine Print — Rudelle Dhawan
https://open.spotify.com/show/4ecSkZYmOH6bg0qRZOhvAp?si=ba56c79161974e04
Crime
• Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown — Kate McCoy & Kevin Corbett
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/horrorwood-true-crime-in-tinseltown/ id1635143133
Diversity & Inclusion
• Cultureful — Jess Lin
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cultureful/id1714884799
History
• The Mississippi River: The FIRST Streaming Platform — Herman Boyd
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cZjokC5v1oQOS4Ny4frGy?si=44be75c2a3d4464d
Sports
• Black in Sports — Edward Cutliff
https://www.spreaker.com/show/4231790/episodes/feed
Games & Hobbies
• GLOA MBA Edition — Greysen “P. Grey” Williams
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9f99eb10-5cee-4cd0-b411-83e9ccf62406/gloa-mba-edition
Government & Organizations
• Back From Beyond – Moab, Utah — Molly Marcello
https://airmedia.org/talent/molly-marcello
Leisure
• What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing? — Karen E. Osborne
www.KarenEOsborne.com/blog-1
• Living the Dream: French Riviera — Cecile Liconnet
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-the-dream-french-riviera/id1857969829
Humor & Satire
• Home for the Holidays
https://homefortheholidays.buzzsprout.com
Fiction
• Home for the Holidays
https://homefortheholidays.buzzsprout.com
Celebrating Excellence in Podcasting
The 2026 Podcast of the Year Awards recognize creators who elevate storytelling, amplify diverse voices, and inspire audiences worldwide. This year’s winners represent the extraordinary range, creativity, and innovation shaping today’s podcast industry.
For a complete list of winners and additional information, please visit:
www.AmericanWritingAwards.com
AmericanWritingAwards.com
Podcast of the Year
info@americanwritingawards.com
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