The Skylark Collective is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards, a unique event celebrating the very best female-led moments in podcasting of the last year. Recognition will be given to women in podcasting, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences. 

The International Women’s Podcast Awards will be hosted at the Allbright in London by acclaimed presenter, author and journalist Vick Hope of BBC Radio 1, whose own podcast, Songs To Live By, launched in March 2021, and the event will be supported by Captivate, the world’s only growth-orientated podcast host.

The founder of The Skylark Collective, Naomi Mellor, herself a podcaster and champion of the interests of women in the world of podcasting, has launched this innovative global event to raise the profile of female podcasters and honour their phenomenal work.

Naomi Mellor, founder of the International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “I am so excited to be announcing the launch of entries to the International Women’s Podcast Awards. The opportunity for women from all over the world to showcase their work is a central pillar of our values at the Skylark Collective, and the judging panel are looking forward to hearing the entries in due course. Allbright is the perfect venue for the event to be held, and their mission of inspiring change aligns beautifully with ours.”

Vick Hope said; “I feel honoured to be presenting The International Women’s Podcast Awards on 23rd September. In a year like no other, podcasts have become such a special and vital part of people’s everyday wellbeing and have helped us stay connected, informed and entertained. You never feel alone with a good podcast, whether you're listening at home or on the move. I’m excited that I get to be a part of these awards and look forward to meeting these inspirational women who have dedicated their time to make brilliant podcasts for all audiences to enjoy”.

Podcasts are the fastest growing form of media, and the global podcast market is predicted to grow at 27% year-on-year for the next 5 years, with an anticipated market value of $USD 60 billion by 2027, compared to $USD 11 billion in 2020. But last year, only 1 of the top 10 grossing podcasts worldwide was hosted by a woman, and latest figures estimate that less than a third of the top 500 podcasts have at least one woman at the helm.

The International Women’s Podcast Awards aims to help level the playing field for women in this exciting and evolving industry, by rewarding and elevating the unsung podcast hosts, editors, producers and writers out there whose work deserves recognition. 

The joy of podcasting lies in its intimacy, in the atmosphere created between the host, guest and listener, and in the moments of incredible sensitivity, humour or honesty that keep people engrossed.

•  The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate these intimate moments of podcasting brilliance, and the women that make them happen. It doesn’t matter if they’ve had 100 downloads or 100 million, the awards are open to everyone in podcasting that identifies as a womxn or non-binary. If they’ve captured a delicious piece of audio that sums up them, their guest or their audience to perfection, then we believe they deserve honouring with an award.

Nominations are now open and will be accepted in eight categories of wonderful ‘Moments’, which are:

•    Moment of Comedy Gold

•    Moment of Raw Emotion

•    Moment of Cliffhanging Drama

•    Moment of Touching Honesty 

•    Moment of Entrepreneurship Inspiration

•    Moment of Badass Business Advice

•    Award for Changing The World One Moment At A Time 
 

•    Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance
 

The awards ceremony will be held at Allbright, Mayfair on Thursday 23rd September.

To enter the awards, go to https://skylarkcollective.co.uk/awards/ 

To find out more about the Skylark Collective, visit https://skylarkcollective.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IWPodcastAwards 

About Vick Hope

A Nigerian-Geordie with a Cambridge degree, Vick Hope has worked in broadcasting since she was 19 years old. Vick had a stellar 2020 becoming ‘a new voice of a generation’ (Sunday Times Style) as she presented live from the red carpet at the BAFTAs; landed two presenting jobs on BBC Radio 1 and became an Amnesty International Ambassador joining the ranks with the likes of Olivia Colman and The Kaiser Chiefs. Vick hosted her own daily show for ITV ‘I’m A Celebrity...The Daily Drop’ plus she stepped into Carol Volderman’s shoes for the CITV reboot of HOW, taught the nation French for BBC Celebrity Supply Teacher, and hosted a 6-part music series for 4Music and The Box at a time when all live music was cancelled.

Vick kicked off 2021 by releasing her second children’s book with previous co-host Roman Kemp (Capital Breakfast from 2017- 2020). ‘Shout Out: Use your voice, save the day’ is the sequel to their first book ‘Listen Up: Rule The Airwaves, Rule The School’. Alongside her presenting commitments, Vick had the mammoth task of reading 114 books as she has been hand selected to be on this year’s Women’s Prize For Fiction Judging Panel. Vick is at the forefront of popular culture, she’s constantly in demand making 2021 her biggest year yet.

Outlets warm to Vick’s natural passion and enthusiasm for her projects, which have helped to secure the following high reaching media appearances: The Guardian, The Independent, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, Sunday Brunch, Lorraine, The I Weekend, BBC Morning Live, Rollacoaster, Grazia and Stylist. Vick is a popular BBC Radio 1 host, presenting two shows across BBC Radio 1 plus working with producers to create a ‘Life Hacks Wellbeing Toolkit’  with regular live stints across ITV Lorraine and This Morning.

About Naomi Mellor

Naomi Mellor is a multi-talented podcaster, presenter, entrepreneur and veterinary surgeon. She is the founder of the Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards, and a passionate advocate of raising the voices of women in podcasting. She was raised with the idea that girls can do or be whatever they want in life, and it remains a particular goal of hers to share that idea with others. 

Naomi launched her first podcast, Smashing The Ceiling, in 2018, and has subsequently hosted and produced two further shows since then, developing them from the ground up. She has an intimate knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing women in podcasting, and launched The Skylark Collective earlier this year to support and unite womxn and non-binary podcasters all over the world.

Raised in Manchester, Naomi’s first career as a vet took her to the South Pacific, Australia, the USA, Newmarket and beyond, working with high-performing equine athletes and top-class riders bound for the Olympics, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby. She has worked at some of the world’s most exclusive and high-profile sporting events and brings her knowledge and experience of what it takes to organise a successful event on the global stage to the International Women’s Podcast Awards. 

NAOMI MELLOR

Founder, the Skylark Collective and International Women’s Podcast Awards

Naomi Mellor is a multi-faceted and multi-talented podcaster, presenter, entrepreneur and veterinary surgeon. She is the founder of the Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards, and a passionate advocate of raising the voices of women in podcasting.

The common thread running throughout Naomi’s career is a passion for creating meaningful connections with others and serving those around her. She was raised with the idea that women and girls can step into their power to do or be whatever they want in life, and it remains a particular goal of hers to share that idea with others.

Naomi grew up in Manchester and first expressed a desire to be a vet at the age of three. Fifteen years later she was still determined to fulfil her dreams, and since 2007, her career as a vet has taken her to the South Pacific, Australia, the USA, Newmarket and beyond, working with high-performing equine athletes and top-class riders bound for the Olympics, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby.

She has strong empathetic communication skills and an intuitive ability to form bonds with people honed over 14 years in veterinary practice. Dealing with a hugely diverse client base during her career also meant Naomi developed an interest in hearing the stories of the people she met, as well as their animals.

These stories, and an interest in promoting the interests of women in the workplace, sparked Naomi’s interest in podcasting. Whilst between jobs and unsure where her career was going in 2018, she set herself the audacious challenge of starting a podcast and running an ultramarathon. Mentored by Sarah Williams of Tough Girl, Naomi learned the art of podcasting from scratch, and in 2019 was the 6th woman to finish the Jurassic Coast Challenge, a 3-day ultramarathon along the Dorset coastline.

Her first podcast, Smashing The Ceiling, launched in 2018, telling the stories of women with interesting, unusual and inspiring careers. Naomi has now interviewed over 50 women about their working lives, including author and journalist Alexandra Heminsley, former Olympic athlete Donna Fraser, Forbes writer and surgeon Jamie Coleman, and Formula 1 development driver Jamie Chadwick, as well as hosting two other successful veterinary podcasts in the meantime.

People warm to Naomi’s enthusiasm, kindness, sense of fun and desire to see others grow. She is passionate about creating meaningful change in the world, and empowering women with the confidence to fulfil their podcasting potential.

In 2021, Naomi combined her passions for podcasting and promoting the interests of audacious, confident women worldwide to found The Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards. The Skylark Collective is a global network of women in podcasting, that aims to support and unite women and non-binary podcasters all over the world through connection, collaboration and celebration. The inaugural International Women's Podcast Awards to be held in September 2021 at the Allbright in London, will be the first awards anywhere in the world to specifically recognise and reward the talent of women in podcasting.

If you require an interview or more photos then contact pr@redheadPR.co.uk

The Skylark Collective is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards, a unique event celebrating the very best female-led moments in podcasting of the last year. Recognition will be given to women in podcasting, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences. 

The International Women’s Podcast Awards will be hosted at the Allbright in London by acclaimed presenter, author and journalist Vick Hope of BBC Radio 1, whose own podcast, Songs To Live By, launched in March 2021, and the event will be supported by Captivate, the world’s only growth-orientated podcast host.

The founder of The Skylark Collective, Naomi Mellor, herself a podcaster and champion of the interests of women in the world of podcasting, has launched this innovative global event to raise the profile of female podcasters and honour their phenomenal work.

Naomi Mellor, founder of the International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “I am so excited to be announcing the launch of entries to the International Women’s Podcast Awards. The opportunity for women from all over the world to showcase their work is a central pillar of our values at the Skylark Collective, and the judging panel are looking forward to hearing the entries in due course. Allbright is the perfect venue for the event to be held, and their mission of inspiring change aligns beautifully with ours.”

Vick Hope said; “I feel honoured to be presenting The International Women’s Podcast Awards on 23rd September. In a year like no other, podcasts have become such a special and vital part of people’s everyday wellbeing and have helped us stay connected, informed and entertained. You never feel alone with a good podcast, whether you're listening at home or on the move. I’m excited that I get to be a part of these awards and look forward to meeting these inspirational women who have dedicated their time to make brilliant podcasts for all audiences to enjoy”.

Podcasts are the fastest growing form of media, and the global podcast market is predicted to grow at 27% year-on-year for the next 5 years, with an anticipated market value of $USD 60 billion by 2027, compared to $USD 11 billion in 2020. But last year, only 1 of the top 10 grossing podcasts worldwide was hosted by a woman, and latest figures estimate that less than a third of the top 500 podcasts have at least one woman at the helm.

The International Women’s Podcast Awards aims to help level the playing field for women in this exciting and evolving industry, by rewarding and elevating the unsung podcast hosts, editors, producers and writers out there whose work deserves recognition. 

The joy of podcasting lies in its intimacy, in the atmosphere created between the host, guest and listener, and in the moments of incredible sensitivity, humour or honesty that keep people engrossed.

•  The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate these intimate moments of podcasting brilliance, and the women that make them happen. It doesn’t matter if they’ve had 100 downloads or 100 million, the awards are open to everyone in podcasting that identifies as a womxn or non-binary. If they’ve captured a delicious piece of audio that sums up them, their guest or their audience to perfection, then we believe they deserve honouring with an award.

Nominations are now open and will be accepted in eight categories of wonderful ‘Moments’, which are:

•    Moment of Comedy Gold

•    Moment of Raw Emotion

•    Moment of Cliffhanging Drama

•    Moment of Touching Honesty 

•    Moment of Entrepreneurship Inspiration

•    Moment of Badass Business Advice

•    Award for Changing The World One Moment At A Time 
 

•    Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance
 

The awards ceremony will be held at Allbright, Mayfair on Thursday 23rd September.

To enter the awards, go to https://skylarkcollective.co.uk/awards/ 

To find out more about the Skylark Collective, visit https://skylarkcollective.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskylarkcollective/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IWPodcastAwards 

About Vick Hope

A Nigerian-Geordie with a Cambridge degree, Vick Hope has worked in broadcasting since she was 19 years old. Vick had a stellar 2020 becoming ‘a new voice of a generation’ (Sunday Times Style) as she presented live from the red carpet at the BAFTAs; landed two presenting jobs on BBC Radio 1 and became an Amnesty International Ambassador joining the ranks with the likes of Olivia Colman and The Kaiser Chiefs. Vick hosted her own daily show for ITV ‘I’m A Celebrity...The Daily Drop’ plus she stepped into Carol Volderman’s shoes for the CITV reboot of HOW, taught the nation French for BBC Celebrity Supply Teacher, and hosted a 6-part music series for 4Music and The Box at a time when all live music was cancelled.

Vick kicked off 2021 by releasing her second children’s book with previous co-host Roman Kemp (Capital Breakfast from 2017- 2020). ‘Shout Out: Use your voice, save the day’ is the sequel to their first book ‘Listen Up: Rule The Airwaves, Rule The School’. Alongside her presenting commitments, Vick had the mammoth task of reading 114 books as she has been hand selected to be on this year’s Women’s Prize For Fiction Judging Panel. Vick is at the forefront of popular culture, she’s constantly in demand making 2021 her biggest year yet.

Outlets warm to Vick’s natural passion and enthusiasm for her projects, which have helped to secure the following high reaching media appearances: The Guardian, The Independent, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, Sunday Brunch, Lorraine, The I Weekend, BBC Morning Live, Rollacoaster, Grazia and Stylist. Vick is a popular BBC Radio 1 host, presenting two shows across BBC Radio 1 plus working with producers to create a ‘Life Hacks Wellbeing Toolkit’  with regular live stints across ITV Lorraine and This Morning.

About Naomi Mellor

Naomi Mellor is a multi-talented podcaster, presenter, entrepreneur and veterinary surgeon. She is the founder of the Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards, and a passionate advocate of raising the voices of women in podcasting. She was raised with the idea that girls can do or be whatever they want in life, and it remains a particular goal of hers to share that idea with others. 

Naomi launched her first podcast, Smashing The Ceiling, in 2018, and has subsequently hosted and produced two further shows since then, developing them from the ground up. She has an intimate knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing women in podcasting, and launched The Skylark Collective earlier this year to support and unite womxn and non-binary podcasters all over the world.

Raised in Manchester, Naomi’s first career as a vet took her to the South Pacific, Australia, the USA, Newmarket and beyond, working with high-performing equine athletes and top-class riders bound for the Olympics, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby. She has worked at some of the world’s most exclusive and high-profile sporting events and brings her knowledge and experience of what it takes to organise a successful event on the global stage to the International Women’s Podcast Awards. 

NAOMI MELLOR

Founder, the Skylark Collective and International Women’s Podcast Awards

Naomi Mellor is a multi-faceted and multi-talented podcaster, presenter, entrepreneur and veterinary surgeon. She is the founder of the Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards, and a passionate advocate of raising the voices of women in podcasting.

The common thread running throughout Naomi’s career is a passion for creating meaningful connections with others and serving those around her. She was raised with the idea that women and girls can step into their power to do or be whatever they want in life, and it remains a particular goal of hers to share that idea with others.

Naomi grew up in Manchester and first expressed a desire to be a vet at the age of three. Fifteen years later she was still determined to fulfil her dreams, and since 2007, her career as a vet has taken her to the South Pacific, Australia, the USA, Newmarket and beyond, working with high-performing equine athletes and top-class riders bound for the Olympics, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby.

She has strong empathetic communication skills and an intuitive ability to form bonds with people honed over 14 years in veterinary practice. Dealing with a hugely diverse client base during her career also meant Naomi developed an interest in hearing the stories of the people she met, as well as their animals.

These stories, and an interest in promoting the interests of women in the workplace, sparked Naomi’s interest in podcasting. Whilst between jobs and unsure where her career was going in 2018, she set herself the audacious challenge of starting a podcast and running an ultramarathon. Mentored by Sarah Williams of Tough Girl, Naomi learned the art of podcasting from scratch, and in 2019 was the 6th woman to finish the Jurassic Coast Challenge, a 3-day ultramarathon along the Dorset coastline.

Her first podcast, Smashing The Ceiling, launched in 2018, telling the stories of women with interesting, unusual and inspiring careers. Naomi has now interviewed over 50 women about their working lives, including author and journalist Alexandra Heminsley, former Olympic athlete Donna Fraser, Forbes writer and surgeon Jamie Coleman, and Formula 1 development driver Jamie Chadwick, as well as hosting two other successful veterinary podcasts in the meantime.

People warm to Naomi’s enthusiasm, kindness, sense of fun and desire to see others grow. She is passionate about creating meaningful change in the world, and empowering women with the confidence to fulfil their podcasting potential.

In 2021, Naomi combined her passions for podcasting and promoting the interests of audacious, confident women worldwide to found The Skylark Collective and the International Women’s Podcast Awards. The Skylark Collective is a global network of women in podcasting, that aims to support and unite women and non-binary podcasters all over the world through connection, collaboration and celebration. The inaugural International Women's Podcast Awards to be held in September 2021 at the Allbright in London, will be the first awards anywhere in the world to specifically recognise and reward the talent of women in podcasting.

If you require an interview or more photos then contact pr@redheadPR.co.uk