Kaye Adams, a long‑time Scottish broadcaster, and stand‑up comedian Marc Jennings will co‑present the first Scottish Podcast Awards on Thursday, 25 June 2026, at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket. The ceremony is expected to draw more than 400 attendees, including a wide range of podcasters who have entered the competition.

The awards, organised by Sixty Steps Productions, were launched to recognise the breadth of Scottish podcasting. The company, founded by Mark Moir, Scot Gardiner and Corrinne Gardiner, received more than 400 entries across categories that cover comedy, football, politics, sex, business, culture and entertainment. The event will feature 24 awards, including a Spotify Listeners’ Choice Award and a Scottish Comedian of the Year award.

Kaye Adams, who began podcasting four years ago with the series How To Be 60, said the medium has moved from a niche hobby to a mainstream channel. "Not that long ago, podcasting was seen as fringe, but that has changed radically in a very short space of time," she told reporters. "The way we see the whole media landscape now has changed. Now, we talk about good content, and getting good content to people who want to consume it, by whatever means."

She added that the awards demonstrate the size of the community and the potential for collaboration. "Sometimes it can feel as if it is just you and your little studio, but this event shows there is a bigger community out there and gives us the chance to connect," Adams said. "We can all learn from each other – our triumphs and failures – and share knowledge to rise together."

Marc Jennings, host of the Some Laugh podcast with fellow comedians Stephen Buchanan and Stuart McPherson, will be a nominee in the Spotify Listeners’ Choice Award. He is competing against Ford Kiernan, host of The Ford and Shelby Show, a well‑known Scottish comedy programme. Jennings, who recently presented the BBC documentary Why Vote?, said he was excited to be nominated and to host the event. "There are a lot of weel‑kent faces, particularly from comedy and football involved, so I’m buzzing to be nominated, and to be hosting it," he said.

The awards are part of a broader trend that shows podcasting’s growing influence in Scotland. Ofcom reports that almost a quarter of adults in Scotland listen to podcasts each week, the highest rate in the United Kingdom. Nearly half of Gen Z listeners in Scotland are regular podcast consumers. Worldwide, more than 4.5 million podcasts are available, according to industry data.

The event also highlights the commercial success of Scottish‑based media companies. Goalhanger, the production house co‑founded by former England footballer Gary Lineker, entered two award categories this year. The company recorded sales of £37.9 million in 2025, growing at an average annual rate of 321 % over the past three years, making it the fastest‑growing business in Britain according to the Sunday Times.

Sixty Steps Productions, which has worked with Spotify and Go Radio, said the response to the awards has been "incredible". Corrinne Gardiner, a co‑founder, said the event will strengthen Scotland’s podcasting scene and that the country’s podcasts will continue to "punch above their weight".

Tickets for the ceremony are still on sale and the event is supported by local government. The awards aim to celebrate the hundreds of podcasters and producers shaping Scotland’s innovative media landscape.

The ceremony will take place at the historic Old Fruitmarket venue in Glasgow, a location chosen for its accessibility and capacity to host a large audience of industry professionals and fans alike.

The inaugural Scottish Podcast Awards will provide a platform for Scottish podcasters to showcase their work, network with peers, and gain recognition from a growing audience that increasingly consumes audio content across multiple platforms.

The event is scheduled to run on Thursday, 25 June 2026, and will feature live performances, award presentations and panel discussions. The awards will be presented in 24 categories, with winners announced during the ceremony.

The Scottish Podcast Awards represent a milestone for the Scottish media industry, highlighting the rise of podcasting as a mainstream medium and the commercial viability of locally produced content.