PANApplause / Recognitions Programs
What is the Narrator of Distinction?
The Narrator of Distinction program highlights 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 across a breadth of style and talent-based criteria.
How do I submit for the Narrator of Distinction?
The Narrator of Distinction is a an exclusive perk of PANA membership. If you are not a member yet, we’d love to have you on board: Join today!
PANA members should make sure they’re logged in to view the submission instructions.
Narrator of Distinction FAQ
● 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.
