From the Nominator

The University of Auckland produces world-leading, thought-provoking research. Visibility was traditionally achieved through journal articles, conference papers, and media engagement. This is no longer enough. Edison Research estimates 55% of New Zealanders listen to podcasts monthly. In 2024, we recognized podcasting could build awareness and prestige for the university’s research with a wide audience, including current and prospective students, families, alumni, donors, potential donors, staff, and the wider community. The majority of academic podcasts follow the host-interviewee model. We chose to be different with a storytelling approach. Each Ingenious podcast episode is a carefully crafted narrative around a theme, combining academic and community voices with quality production values. Ingenious doesn't have a big budget—NZ $17,500 (US $10,320) per season. We produced the five-episode pilot in-house, using a communications team member with previous podcast experience. Initially, we used university sound engineers, but for the second season, we switched to an award-winning podcast production house. We asked the University of Chicago podcast team for advice; they told us listener numbers build slowly and recommended strong marketing and occasional “big hitter” themes. We took their advice and saw steady growth, with a strong boost for the "Inside the Science of Obesity” episode, taking us over the 11,000 mark and into the top 10% of podcasts globally.

From the Judges

This entry stands out for its high level of craft and clear differentiation from traditional interview-style podcasts, using an immersive narrative approach. Judges highlighted its strong performance metrics, including 11,700 streams/downloads, 60–80% retention, and broad marketing reach. The polished production quality, distinctive intros, and engaging storytelling contribute to a compelling listener experience. Overall, it presents a highly effective and replicable model for research-focused institutions.