Gratitude Award - Changing Lives for the Better Through Podcasting
Podcasting is global! You could be podcasting from your closet and influencing a worldwide audience, changing lives for the better on the other side of the world. To celebrate the internationality of podcasting, the International Podcast Day Gratitude Award recognizes a podcast, business, organization, or individual that are changing lives for the better through podcasting.
Gratitude Award Recipients
2015 – Katy Bowman
Katy Bowman of KatySays – In 2015, the first ever Gratitude Award was presented to Katy Bowman of KatySays. The reviews Katy received were amazing! Her listeners shared stories of how her podcast literally changed their lives, helping them eat healthy, and meet their wellness goals.
2016 – Karo Martínez
Karo Martínez of Español Automático – In 2016, Karo Martinez of Espanol Automatico was the winner of the second annual Gratitude Award. Karo’s podcast helped individuals around the world learn Spanish as they prepared for travel adventures, new work assignments, and so much more.
2019 – Podcast World Tour
Podcast World Tour – In 2019, Podcast World Tour was the 3rd winner. They hope to impact podcasters, fans, and companies to bring awareness about the nonprofit Auditory-Verbal Center and the work they do each day to teach children with mild to profound deafness to listen and speak without relying on sign language or lip reading. PWT has the vision of every child born deaf to have the opportunity to interpret sound and speak fluently without sign language or lip reading.
2020 – Dave Lee
Dave Lee of International Podcast Day – Dave, as cofounder of International Podcast Day, has organized the schedule for each of the live streaming events for the International Podcast Day community. He is former host of The Waves of Tech, a four time finalist in the Podcast Awards. When he is not working on International Podcast Day, he is spending time and traveling with Anaya (his wife) and watching hours of soccer.
2021 – Africa Podfest
Africa Podfest – Africa Podfest is a platform for and by African podcasters. They inspire & elevate African podcasters by building a sustainable and inclusive podcasting industry across Africa. They are also creators of Africa Podcast Day, celebrated on February 12th. Pictured is Joy Gitau, Melissa Mbugua and Allan Wasega.
2022 – Arielle Nissenblatt
Arielle Nissenblatt – Arielle Nissenblatt started EarBuds Podcast Collective in 2017 and has since worked in many aspects of the podcast industry, including as a studio manager, an in-app curator at Castbox, a festival organizer at Outlier PodFest, and Community Manager at SquadCast. She is major voice in the podcasting space serving in podcast marketing, production, and consulting.
2023 – Boryslaw Kozielski (Posthumously)
Boryslaw Kozielski – Borys Kozielski was a podcaster and advocate in the podcasting industry. Borys was one of the first Polish podcasters to be showcased during the International Podcast Day live stream events, bringing the news of IPD to new faces in Europe. He was a positive voice in his community, and his contributions to his friends and colleagues in the industry were notable.
2025 -Todd Cochrane (Posthumously)
Todd Cochrane – Podcast Pioneer, Dear Friend, and Blubrry founder and CEO – left us unexpectedly at 61. “Todd was more than a leader – he was a friend, a mentor, and a passionate advocate for podcasters everywhere. He built Blubrry from his love of podcasting and technology, and he was deeply grateful for the team and community who shared that journey with him. We will honor Todd’s legacy by continuing to support podcasters and carrying forward the mission he dedicated his life to. ? Rest in peace, Todd. Your voice and vision will never be forgotten.” ~Blubrry