The PANA Recognitions Programs aka PANApplause are peer-oriented celebrations of work in the field of audiobook narration. Created by and for professional narrators, these honors inclusively recognize the talent and contributions within our industry.

To sign up for all PANA Recognitions Programs you must register through
AwardForce. Additional instructions on how to register are available in this FAQ.

All your information is encrypted and securely stored inside AwardForce. Only
select members of the PANA Recognitions Team have access to this information.

● For programs that require seasonal submissions, the Narrator of Distinction (NODs), an upcoming program, you must be a PANA member in good standing at the time of submission. Programs using a one-time sign-up format, like the NSL, require members to be in good standing at the time they are selected to be honored.
● For example, if you submit for a Narrator of Distinction award while in good
standing, but your membership lapses before you’ve received that award, you
can still receive it. If you sign up for the Narrator Spotlight, but your membership
ends, you cannot be selected until your membership is in good standing again.

Yes, we collect applications for all PANA Recognitions Programs through AwardForce.

Interested in celebrating your peers and joining the Recognitions Team? We’d love to have you! The time commitment is 2-4 hours per month (including a 1 hour zoom meeting). Please email volunteer@pronarrators.org with “Recognitions Team” in the subject line. We’ll get back to you with more information!

Yes, we collect applications for all PANA Recognitions Programs through AwardForce. There is no cost to create an account in AwardForce.

Yes, to participate in PANA’s Recognitions programs, you must create a profile in AwardForce. This action only needs to be performed once.

●No. You only need to create a profile once. Once your profile has been created, you’ll be able to submit to specific recognitions programs as they become available. The sign-up process offers guidance, and this FAQ includes any additional instructions.
● You will receive an email from AwardForce once your account has been created.

While your AwardForce profile only needs to be created once, programs will have different submission standards. Some programs, like Narrator Spotlight, only require you to submit once for lifetime consideration. Most programs that involve submitting for awards will require you to make a new submission each cycle that you’re eligible for.

Yes. So long as the submissions have not closed, you can still edit your entry.

Yes. If you wish to rescind your submission for any program, you can simply
delete your submission in AwardForce.

● AwardForce requires us to set up each program with a submission deadline. This deadline does not apply to the Narrator Spotlight, which has ongoing consideration and only requires a one-time submission with unlimited opportunities for editing.
● Seasonal programs, like the Narrator of Distinction, will clearly state relevant deadlines in the system.

Your AwardForce account will not be deleted if your PANA membership is not
renewed, unless requested.

Yes, only current PANA members can create a profile and submit to the PANA
Recognitions Programs.

The Narrator of Distinction recipients will be celebrated both on the PANA website and across social media platforms. A high-resolution photo will be needed with the submission for promotional purposes (Max file size is 5MB. File should be in jpeg, jpg, or png format and should be square). If you submit a title narrated by your pseudonym, you can submit the image you use on social media.

The Narrator Spotlight is a program for celebrating narrators.

Every month, 1 active PANA member is chosen to be recognized for their work in the audiobook industry.

Selected members will have a graphic created including a short writeup about their work and accomplishments.

The goal is to use our organization’s platform to highlight a variety of members and provide new media to promote their work. We’ve partnered with over 50 producers and casting directors, and every quarter we’ll be sending them our NSLs to highlight new faces and information about PANA narrators!

All current PANA members in good standing at the time of selection for the NSL
are eligible for the program.

Members can enter anytime during the year to be considered for NSL and can
update their entries at any time. Once a year, members with an existing entry will
receive a prompt to resubmit their entry at which time they can update or delete
their entry.

Members will be able to update their information in AwardForce as they see fit
over time, but the Narrator Spotlight program involves additional research after a
member has been selected. If you are selected and a spotlight is made, you’ll be
asked for feedback on the materials before they’re published.

To participate in the Narrator Spotlight program, you must register for a free account in AwardForce and create an Entry for the NSL. That Entry submission will be considered as the member opting in to the NSL program.

● If you are selected for the NSL, we will email you before the announcement to
confirm the details of the spotlight. If you want to opt-out, you can notify us when
you receive this confirmation.
● If you wish to rescind your submission for the NSL, you can simply delete your
submission.

No, there is no cost to be considered for the Narrator Spotlight (NSL)

If you are selected for a spotlight, you’ll first receive a preview of the materials
made to get final feedback. These materials will be shared via social media,
newsletter, and on our website. Afterward, you’ll receive final copies of all of
them, including the graphics and the write-up.

You are eligible to be highlighted once every 3 years.

Yes! If you’re chosen to be featured in Narrator Spotlight, you will be emailed a
preview of your Spotlight before it goes public.

Yes! All current PANA members in good standing are eligible for the NSL,
regardless of their volunteer status.

No, being featured in the Narrator Spotlight does not affect your eligibility for any
other PANA recognitions programs.

No. As each program has its own application, opting out of one program will not
affect your eligibility for another.

If you narrate under a pseudonym, AwardForce will allow you to create up to two
entries for Narrator Spotlight. You can use this additional entry to submit your
pseudonym for consideration. If your pseudonym is selected for a Narrator
Spotlight, our team will contact you for final graphic/information approval before
we publish the Spotlight. Each entry will be considered separately.

The image must be no larger than 5 MB.

● The Narrator of Distinction awards is a free annual program that will highlight PANA members who demonstrate the power of human vocal artistry, advance the craft of narration, and represent some of the strongest audiobook performances each year encompassing vast ranges of style and talent-based criteria.
● Performances will be judged by a panel of jurors affiliated with the audiobook industry.

There is no cost for PANA members to enter into any of our programs.

• Members will receive an email from PANA when the submission window is open for the current award cycle.
• For the 2025 cycle:
  • May 1st Submissions open for the NODs.
  • May 22nd: Deadline to submit for the NODs.
  • Audiobooks are judged by jurors from June through September to determine winners.
  • Winners will be announced at the annual PANA meeting in October!

• To enter the NOD awards program, you must set up a free profile in the platform AwardForce.
  • Click here to learn more about AwardForce.
• Please note that the information you include in your submission entry may be used publicly if you are chosen as a Finalist and/or a Winner.

Members may submit one (1) entry each year.

For the 2025 awards, audiobooks eligible for submission must have a release date between January 1st, 2024 – December 31st, 2024.

• If a member is a finalist for a Narrator of Distinction award but does not win, then they may continue to enter in future award cycles.
• If a member wins a Narrator of Distinction award, then that member will not be eligible to enter again for two (2) years.

• All current PANA members in good standing at the time of selection for the NODs are eligible for the program.
• Entries must be submitted by the narrator of the audiobook.

• The audiobook submitted must be available for purchase on an industry standard retail platform (i.e. Audible, Libro.fm, etc.) during the time specified for the current award cycle.
• Audiobooks may not be submitted if they are exclusively streaming on YouTube, SoundCloud, on the author or narrator’s websites, or any other non-industry standard retail website.

• Round 1, the jurors will be listening to the Retail Sample of the audiobook.
• Round 2, the jurors will be listening to the entire audiobook.

If you are selected for a Narrator of Distinction, congratulations! Someone from the Recognitions Team will email you sharing the good news and provide instructions of what’s next!

No. Once an entry is submitted it will become part of the judging process and any changes made after the initial submission will not be reviewed.

Unfortunately, you will not be able to make adjustments to your submission or re-submit a title at this time.

• Members of the PANA Recognitions Team, Communications Team and the Board are intricately involved in this awards program. Therefore, if you are a volunteer for the Recognitions Team, Communications Team or a Board Member during the current awards cycle, you are not eligible. 
• All other PANA volunteers who are not a member of the Recognitions Team, Communications Team or the Board will be eligible to submit for the NODs.

No. PANA members may only submit an audiobook that they narrate, whether as themselves or their pseudonym.

No, being selected for the Narrator of Distinction does not affect your eligibility for any other PANApplause programs.

No. At this time, only single narrator audiobooks will be eligible for a NOD.

• No box sets.
• Minimum audiobook length of 3 hours.
• Only single narrator audiobooks at this time. No multicast, full cast, duel, or duet projects will be eligible.
• Only one submission per cycle for each eligible PANA member.
• You can submit a title narrated by your pseudonym, but you’ll need to confirm the name you’re registered as a member with so we can vet the submission. Your pseudonym will remain confidential and will not be shared beyond the Recognitions Team.