The Audie Awards, often called the “Oscars of the audiobook industry,” recognize excellence in narration and production. The biggest international audiobook event, Audie Awards, returned after three years in March 2023. Earlier, the event was being hosted over the Internet due to covid restrictions. The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has organized these awards yearly since 2015.
Venue of Audie Awards 2023
This year, the gathering occurred at Pier Sixty in Chelsea with various celebrated writers, narrators, publishers, and other important figures from the spoken-word industry. The evening was filled with a celebrative zeal for the growing popularity of audiobook streaming.
The awards started with rap musicals by narrators Vikas Adam and Erin Bennett. In her famous cheeky way, Michelle Buteau hosted the ceremony and amused the crowd with her fantastic humour. The EGOT winner, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Whitten (the Editor & Founder of Audiofile Magazine) were the chief guest judges for the ‘Young Listeners’ genre.
There were 26 award categories, each celebrating the love and spirit of the audiobook production. A new type of industry achievement was also included in this list. This award was presented to Richard Rieman, the founder and CEO of Imagination Storybooks, and audio producers Amber Beard and Kelly Gildea from Penguin Random House.
Viola Davis’s Sparkling Win
The show-stealer wins were the categories – ‘Narration by Author’ and ‘Audiobook of the Year.’ Viola Davis’s writing and narration – Finding Me, a HarperAudio publication, received both awards.
Davis’s win at the Audie Awards 2023 was a testament to her exceptional narration skills, which she displayed with finesse and brilliance. Her voice exuded charisma, emotion, and authenticity, resonating deeply with audiences and elevating the audiobook experience to new heights.
The Audie Awards 2023 will be remembered as the year Viola Davis’s star shone brightly. Her impressive win in the fiercely competitive audiobook category is a testament to her talent, dedication, and ability to captivate audiences.
Other Winners
Billy Porter’s Unprotected won the best autobiography/memoir award. While Mad Honey, written by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (narrated by Carrie Coon, Key Taw, Picoult, and Boylan), claimed its win under the Fiction genre. Happy-Go-Lucky, written and narrated by David Sedaris, was honoured in the ‘Humor’ category. Meanwhile, The Eye of the World (written by Robert Jordan) won Rosamund Pike the Best Female Narrator award.
The exciting ‘Thriller & Suspense’ award was presented to Greenwich Park, written by Katherine Faulkner (and narrated by Laura Kirman). Demon in the Wood, written by Leigh Bardugo (and narrated by Ben Barnes & various others), was honoured under the best ‘Young Adult’ category. You can find a complete list of all the winners here: https://www.audiopub.org/2023audieawards-winners.
Anna Maria Allessi, APA’s president and a Hachette Audio publisher, expressed her gratitude to the community for their constant support throughout the pandemic. She recollected the memories of the award’s last physical gathering in 2020.
The entries of the 2024 Audie Awards have been announced for July this year. APA is a non-profit trade group that promotes the shared community goals of audio publishers.
Please find out more about APA and its events at https://www.audiopub.org/.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
