ARKAST AWARDS 2026 // NOMINATIONS
NOMINATE A PODCAST.
Any Arkansas show on the Podshelf can be nominated for a 2026 ARKAST Award. Nominations open at ARKAST on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM, and stay open until the board announces a closing date.
HOW THE 2026 AWARDS WORK
YOUR NOMINATIONS SET THE AWARDS.
Every pod has an award
Each show on the Podshelf belongs to one of the ten pods by genre, so you do not pick a category. A nomination counts toward the show's pod award, and the shows with the most nominations in a pod become its finalists. A pod with too few nominated shows is combined with a related pod for this year.
The rest come from you
The form asks what you would give the show an award for. When nominations close, the board reads every answer and sets the rest of the 2026 awards from the ones people name most, like best host or best new show.
One nomination per show
Each email address counts once for each show, and you can nominate as many different shows as you want. Self-nominations count. After nominations close, the finalists are announced and public voting opens.
The ten pods:
THE NOMINATION // TWO MINUTES
WHICH SHOW, AND WHY.
Fields marked with an asterisk are required. A show has to be on the Podshelf to be nominated. If it is not listed yet, submit it to the Podshelf first, and it can be nominated once the listing is live.
Nominations open at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 16, 2026. The form will work from then on.
AFTER NOMINATIONS CLOSE
FINALISTS, THEN THE VOTE.
The board counts the nominations for each show and reads the reasons, then announces the finalists in each award. The public vote decides the winners, who are announced at the spring ARKAST in Northwest Arkansas.