Publishers move to the heart of the Audio Production Awards

Audiobooks have gained a prominent place in the 2026 Audio Production Awards nominations. The announcement on 26 October includes Penguin Random House, Bonnier Books UK, HarperCollins and Nosy Crow, while Penguin Studios is also shortlisted for Production Company of the Year. Run by AudioUK since 2010, the APAs place particular emphasis on the production and technical work that sits behind listening—an important perspective in a field where the narrator’s voice is only the most visible part of a collective process. The presence of several publishers shows how fully audio is now integrated into catalogue planning rather than treated as a simple extension of print. The awards therefore bring direction, production and the skills that turn a text into a listening experience into the foreground.