'Caso 63', Marion Reimers, 'La esfera', Molo Cebrián and El Terrat are among the winners of the First Ondas World Podcast Awards

• The prizes will be awarded at a special gala on May 24 at the CaixaBank Soho Theater in Malaga.
• Organized by PRISA Audio and Cadena SER, in collaboration with Spotify, this is the first edition of these Awards, which are set to be the key event dedicated exclusively to this sector in the Spanish-speaking world.
• In total, 888 candidates from more than 15 countries vied for the awards.

The winners of the first ever Ondas World Podcast Awards have been announced, with the top gongs going to Caso 63, Marion Reimers and her production Fútbol a muerte, Podium Podcast’s fiction production La esfera,the podcaster Molo Cebrián and production outfit El Terrat. The jury, made up of experts from the worlds of audio, communication and advertising, announced their decision on Wednesday, February 23, during a live broadcast on the Cadena SER program La Ventana. The awards gala ceremony, organized by PRISA Audio and Cadena SER, in collaboration with Spotify, will be held on May 24 at the CaixaBank Soho Theater in Malaga, with the support of Malaga’s City Council and the regional government – the Junta de Andalucía – as well as the provincial authority of Malaga (Diputación de Málaga).

A total of 19 awards will be handed out, more than originally envisaged as there was a surprise tie for the prize in four of the 15 categories. A further five podcasts received special mentions from the jury, and the gala will also honor the Best Podcasts of the Year, already announced at the traditional Ondas Awards last November in Barcelona.

The winners are:

General category

The winner in the general category for the best fiction podcast is Caso 63. This Chilean podcast series follows the challenges faced by psychiatrist Elisa Aldunate when a patient’s story threatens to shatter the boundaries of what she thought possible. The jury praised “the impeccable script by Julio Rojas, the masterfully managed narrative tension and the magnificent performances by Antonia Zegers and Nestor Catillana”. Caso 63 is the most listened to fiction podcast on Spotify in Latin America of all time, despite being released just over a year ago. Its success has led to adaptations in different international markets such as the United States and Brazil. The podcast is a Spotify original and is produced by Emisor Podcasting.

There was a tie for the non-fiction prize, with the jury awarding a gong apiece toTransportistaandGAL: El triángulo. Transportista (Courier) is a Mexican journalistic production that “takes a fresh look at the so-called war on drugs at an international level," according to the jury. A mobile phone from inside a prison serves as a link between this drug courier and the journalist Meño Larios, in a production by Detective, Exile Content and for iHeart Media. Meanwhile, the Spanish winner is a foray into the world of podcasts by veteran journalist Antonio Rubio. Produced by El Cañonazo and The Facto for Podimo, it brings together for the first time the victims and perpetrators of the dirty war against ETA, 40 years after the first ever GAL attack. The jury said that "it delves deep into one of the darkest episodes in the recent history of Spain, opens up new research, new revelations, and brings new voices and views to bear on a past that is unknown to a large part of the audience”.

The award for best conversation podcast has goneto La cruda, from Argentina, which is produced by Spotify. The popular host and comedian Migue Granados is someone who doesn't shy away from “rocking the boat, fighting and investigating" as he interviews different people with unique lives or stories, said the jury. He receives the award “for managing, with humor, to talk about issues that are uncomfortable but important. The tone catches the interviewees off guard, as he raises the questions that we all want to ask but that none of us dares to do”.

Hotel Jorge Juan, presented by Javier Aznar, has won the award for best branded podcast. At a leisurely conversational pace, each episode offers "something to mull over, think about, believe in and grow" in an intimate setting, explained the jury, who praised its “perfect symbiosis between content and brand, whereby it sets the standard for the creation of other brandedpodcasts. Here we have guests and a conversation that we enjoy almost as if we were chatting at a bar counter”. The podcast is produced by Vanity Fair and Yes We Cast in conjunction with Seagram's.

In the same category there was a special mention for ¿Sigues ahí? (Are you still there?) the Netflix Spain podcast that fosters learning while having fun with TV series and movies. This is the first podcast on a streaming platform not exclusively dedicated to a single title. According to the jury, the podcast, presented by Jordi Cruz and Samantha Hudson, "demonstrates that shows and the subjects they deal with on television go way beyond the screen and can lead to daily conversations on topics of genuine general interest."

The best experimental podcast is Solaris. Here, the writer and thinker Jorge Carrión helps the listener to understand these fast-paced algorithmic, quantum times of artificial intelligence which seem to possess a strange new logic of their own. The members of the jury said that this was "a disruptive project, which has become a benchmark for innovative narrative formats on issues related to techno journalism, digital life and experimentation." It is produced by Podium Podcast, with sound design by Andreu Quesada.

Diles q mi vida fue maravillosa (Tell them that my life was wonderful) garnered a special mention. This “independent and collective” podcast, said the jury, “is a production that mixes extremes and contrasts. Experimentation goes hand in hand with the mundane, and humor with philosophy”. It is produced by Alberto Torres Blandina and directed by Miguel Espigado, with Laura Romero Valldecabres on sound production.

In the non-Spanish language section, the best international podcast has gone to L'écho du Bataclan(The echo of Bataclan), which addresses the relationship between sound and the massacre of November 13, 2015 in the Parisian nightclub. The jury praised the production “for recounting an attack that shocked Europe from the point of view of the survivors and their relationship with sound. The attack was full of noises and silences that have marked the lives of those who survived. This is a meticulous work of sound design that asks us to rethink our relationship with sound itself”. This is a production of Arte Radio (France).

In the category of co-official language of Spain, the winner is the Basque-language  podcast on feminist thought Lokatza (Clay). This Basque women’s choral project explores and seeks to understand the world from a feminist perspective. The jury said that this podcast represents "a firm and determined commitment by broadcaster EiTB to promote the presence of women in its media with free narratives", adding that this is a project that is aware of how the genre has the potential to enrich language. Lokatza is created and directed by Ainara Lasa, Amagoia Gurrutxaga, Idurre Eskisabel and Lorea Agirre.

Specific category:

In the specific category, the award for best sound design has gone to the fiction series La esfera (The sphere), a Podium Podcast production with sound design by Teo Rodríguez. This podcast takes as its starting point a letter from a number of US Army pilots in which they attest to having seen unidentified flying objects during their maneuvers over the years. The jury praised "his mastery in surrounding a story with an unmistakable sound universe, one full of nuance, one which draws the listener into a totally immersive sound experience".

The best script award has gone to El sicario. The Telemundo podcast follows a man who spent three months training to be a hitman – in his own words – and is an insight into one of the most feared criminal groups in Mexico: the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel. The jury praised El Sicario “for building an impeccable narrative script from exhaustive journalistic investigation. This Telemundo podcast brings the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel closer to a global public of all types of audiences.”

The jury gave a special mention to Uribe acorralado, in which the journalist Daniel Coronell reveals how he managed to link former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe with a crime of witness tampering. “Daniel Coronell's meticulous work, carried out over three years, is not only the portrait of a controversial public figure”, said the jury.  “It is also masterclass in how each piece of evidence may be used to build a meticulous piece of journalism.” This is an original Spotify podcast produced by Adonde Media.

The award for best production has gone to Guerra 3,which takes the listener inside North Korea and an international conflict. The jury praised the production’s "impeccable coordination carried out during the pandemic to produce a final season with more than fifty different characters in more than thirteen different languages." This is a Podium Podcast fiction series produced by Jesús Blanquiño, David Tomillo and Ana Alonso.

Also in this section, there was a special mention for the podcast Toxicomanía. This series, hosted by Luis Gerardo Méndez, portrays 1940s Mexico – a period during which all drugs were legal. The jury praised the podcast for bringing together “multiple talents to reflect on drug prohibition. Writers, sound designers and actors all worked together to approach a topic in multiple formats in a unique way”. This is a Sonoro production.

The award for best host has gone to Marion Reimers and her Fútbol a muerte (Football to the Death), in which the sports journalist looks back at the most notorious cases of football foul play in Latin America. The jury said she’d managed to “carve out a niche for herself in sports journalism and stand out thanks to her talent for transforming investigative journalism into stories that reach the general public". This is a Spotify original production.

In the category of best actor or actress, the jury opted to award two prizes, one apieceto Lolita Flores and Luis Zahera. Flores was honored for her work in Jodidísimas, directed by Mona León Siminiani, with a script by María Dueñas for Audible España. The jury lauded the actressfor “giving voice to Consuelo, a woman in her fifties who, for the first time, is now facing the fact that she has to start thinking about how to get ahead in life”. Zahera, meanwhile, won best actor award for La Esfera for “playing Mariano, an offbeat lone-wolf police officer, who’s often misunderstood. This is a complex character you just can’t help getting attached to”. La Esfera is a Podium Podcast production, directed by Polo Menárguez. 

There was also a tight race – and another tie – in the category of best episode, where Gabinete de curiosidades and Las rarashave been given an award each. Gabinete de Curiosidades (Cabinet of Curiosities) won for Siguiendo un hilo blanco, siguiendo un hilo negro (Following a white thread, following a black thread). ”The first double episode of the third season follows the murder of George Floyd, an event that shocked public opinion, and from there builds a narrative that shakes the listener to the core,” said the jury. Gabinete de Curiosidades is a podcast by Nuria Pérez. In the case of Las Raras, the episode 59 balas "shows the full potential of the non-fiction narrative podcast used to appeal to the audience" explained the jury, who added that "it is a first-person narrative, a documentary recording and a collection of archives all used to build up a script that tells us the story of systemic police brutality against Latino communities in the United States.” This is yet another journalistic gem from producers Catalina May and Martín Cruz, Las Raras Podcast.

Special prizes:

In the special prizes section, Saludos cordiales, by Pablo Juanarena and broadcast by Radio Marca, won the best newcomer prize. This podcast isa portrait of football and sports journalism in Spain. "He has captured the history of sports radio during the formative years that made it what it is today," the jury said. “Saludos Cordiales has managed to reach an audience that might otherwise never have been interested in that world. A perfect blend of script, design and narration”.

In this same category, the jury gave a special mention to the Argentinian Lo que quieren las pibas (What girls want), a documentary about the disappearances of teenagers in the Bajo Flores neighborhood in Buenos Aires. The jury praised it for “framing the experience of the network of teachers, families and organizations in Bajo Flores”. This is a podcast by Josefina Avale produced by Furor Podcast.

The last prize, the most outstanding contribution to the genre, also saw two winners, with the gongs going to Molo Cebrián and the production company El Terrat. The jury praised Cebrián “for his pioneering work to put mental health on the agenda”. Cebrián, who produced and presented the first ever Spanish-language podcast in the world for Spotify Studios, has created other podcasts such as Entiende Tu Mente, Mi cabeza me hace trampas and Saliendo del Círculo (Understand Your Mind, My Head Plays Tricks On Me andLeaving the Circle). El Terrat, meanwhile, was awarded the prize “for being one of the first big audiovisual production companies to find an open creative window in the podcast, almost as if the genre was encoded in their DNA. They immediately knew that it would allow them to produce entertainment, comedy and even experimental projects. They’ve set the gold standard for the creation of content for platforms – serving many of them – have explored new formats involving big names in media in Spain and they’ve produced what is one of the most listened to Spanish-language podcasts in the world: Nadie sabe nada (Nobody knows anything) aired by Cadena SER.”

The gala for the Ondas World Podcast Awards, to be heldon May 24 in Malaga,will also honor the Best Podcasts of the Year, already announced at the traditional Ondas Awards last November in Barcelona. These were: Deforme Semanal Ideal Total, by Lucía Lijtmaer and Isabel Calderón (Radio Primavera Sound) and Estirando el chicle, by Carolina Iglesias and Victoria Martín (Podium Podcast).

Radio Primavera Sound’s Deforme Semanal, was awarded the top prize "for consolidating a radio show with a provocative and feminist take on culture and life", said the jury. Estirando el chicle, meanwhile, showed skill at "turning a groundbreaking podcast into a mass phenomenon thanks to its no-holds-barred humor and approach".

The Ondas World Podcast Awards have been established with the stated aim of giving greater visibility to the Spanish-language podcast industry and of paying tribute to the work of its professionals. The jury this year selected the 19 big winners from among 888 contenders from 15 countries, and was made up of leading experts from the world of audio, communication and advertising from both Spain and Latin America.

The awards follow in the footsteps of the renowned Ondas Awards that PRISA gives out annually through Ràdio Barcelona (Cadena SER). The Ondas are rightly considered to be the oldest and most prestigious radio and television awards in the country. Last year’s 68th edition, held on November 16, was a record-breaking affair in terms of entries received.

With these new awards, PRISA Audio continues to forge ahead towards its ambitious goal of becoming the most important transformative agent in the Spanish-language  podcast industry. PRISA Audio is the transversal platform that brings together all the Group's Spanish-language podcast content: EL PAÍS, AS, Cadena SER, Podium Podcast, Cadena DIAL and LOS40, as well as the Latin American stations W Radio, Caracol Radio and ADN Chile, among others.

Click here for further information on both the Ondas Awards and the Ondas Global Podcast Awards.