BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - s4story -- HigherEd PodCon, held at Cuyahoga Community College, presented the inaugural HigherEd PodCon Awards, the first national awards program dedicated exclusively to recognizing excellence in higher-education podcasting. More than 165 higher education communicators, podcasters, faculty members, administrators, students, and industry partners were in attendance.

Presented by Ellucian, the HigherEd PodCon Awards were created to recognize excellence, creativity, innovation, and impact in higher education podcasting while encouraging institutions and individuals to continue expanding the role of audio and video storytelling in teaching, research, student engagement, institutional communications, and public outreach.

The Awards committee received 155 nominations from colleges, universities, organizations, podcast networks, faculty, administrators, students, and independent creators from across the United States and internationally.  29 volunteer judges representing higher education and the podcasting profession participated in a blind peer-review process.

"These awards celebrate far more than outstanding podcasts," said Dean Hoke, co-founder of HigherEd PodCon and chair of the inaugural awards program. "They recognize educators, communicators, researchers, students, and institutions that are using podcasting to inform, inspire, educate, and strengthen higher education. The quality of the nominations demonstrates that podcasting has become one of the most innovative and influential forms of communication in our profession."

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2026 HigherEd PodCon Award Winners

Outstanding Podcast Series

Winner: Where What If Becomes What's Next
Institution: Carnegie Mellon University

Recognized for translating groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, robotics, healthcare, and energy into engaging conversations that make complex discoveries accessible to broad audiences.

Episode of the Year

Winner: Rest Matters
Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Honored for exploring the importance of rest, well-being, and burnout prevention through research-based insights that resonate with today's college students and campus communities.

Outstanding Student-Led Podcast

Winner: Curing the Curriculum: Students' Take on Medical Education
Institution: University of Groningen (The Netherlands)

Selected for demonstrating the power of student-created storytelling, with medical students leading every aspect of production while examining the future of medical education through the student perspective.

Podcaster of the Year

Winner: Lolita Cummings
Institution: Eastern Michigan University

Recognized for her leadership as co-host and producer of Enlighten U, a podcast that combines student voices and expert perspectives to promote student well-being, mental health awareness, and educational success.

Outstanding Institutional Podcast Network

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Winner: The Wharton Podcast Network
Institution: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Honored for building one of higher education's premier podcast networks, extending Wharton's research and thought leadership to audiences around the world through innovative, accessible programming.

About HigherEd PodCon

HigherEd PodCon co-founded by Elvin Freytes, Dean Hoke, Neil McPhedran, Gregg Oldring, and Joe Sallustio,  is the premier conference dedicated exclusively to higher education podcasting. Founded in 2025 to advance the art, science, and strategy of podcasting across colleges and universities, the conference brings together podcast hosts, producers, marketers, communicators, faculty, students, and institutional leaders to share best practices, showcase innovation, and strengthen the higher education podcasting community.

The annual conference features nationally recognized keynote speakers, interactive workshops, breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and the HigherEd PodCon Awards—the first national awards program dedicated exclusively to recognizing excellence in higher education podcasting.

https://www.higheredpodcon.com