WHO MAY ENTER?
Submissions are open to publishing companies and audio rights-holders of titles first released in the United States between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025. To qualify, the entry must contain at least 51% spoken-word content, be available in the U.S., and have original U.S. publication date provided. Each title must be submitted by the audio rights holder or with the written permission of the audio rights holder (uploaded at the time of entry). Entries must be in English unless otherwise specified.

ELIGIBILITY AND RULES

1. Release Date: All entries into the Audie Awards competition must carry a release date between November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025. “Release date” is defined as the date the title was first made available for sale to the public in the United States. Titles reissued in a new format are not eligible, unless the “first release date” is within the qualifying period. Collections of previously released materials are eligible if the “first release date” of the new collection is within the qualifying period. Publishing companies may be asked to submit documentation supporting the release dates of their nominated titles. The release date must be noted on the online form.

2. Rights: Entries must either be submitted by the rights-holder, or the rights-holder must give authorization to the submitter. A rights-holder may be the author, publisher, a licensee/distributor, or the producer. The same title may not be submitted by more than one entity.

3. Category Limits: There are three types of Audies category: General, Narrator, and Audiobook of the Year.  A title may be submitted only once into each type. In the event a title is entered into more than one of these category types, the judging committee will remove from the excessive categories and the entry fee will not be returned to the submitter. 

4. Submission Limits: A publisher or rights holder may submit 7 titles per category. Note: APA Category 1 Member Publishers may submit 10 titles per category. Each submitted title must be available in the US and either submitted by the audio rights holder or with the written permission of the audio rights holder.

5. Entry Review: Entries will be screened for eligibility including:

• Release date.  
• Category appropriateness.

It is the responsibility of the submitter to determine and select the appropriate category. However, the committee reserves the right to move the entries to appropriate categories or dismiss inappropriate submissions. In the event a submission is disqualified for one of these reasons the entry fee will not be returned to the submitter. 

6. Finalists: Up to five (or six in case of a tie) finalists will be selected for each category from all submissions and announced in February 2026.

7. Winners: Winners will be announced and awards will be distributed to a representative of the submitter of the title during the Audies Gala, planned for March 2nd, 2026, in New York. 

8. Category Cancellation: At least six entries must be submitted in a category or the category may be cancelled or combined. If a category is cancelled, entry fees will be refunded, or entries will be reassigned to other categories with permission of the submitters.