Congratulations, Father Mike Schmitz and all who produce "The Bible in a Year" podcast! 🎉
iHeartMedia announced its nominees for the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards on Feb. 5, 2024. According to Podtrac, iHeartMedia is the number one global publisher of podcasts.
The awards will consist of 29 categories, including comedy, crime, news, food, and of course, religion and spirituality. Fans will vote for their favorites from Feb. 5- Feb. 18, 2024.
A judging panel composed of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives, and visionaries will determine the winners in the other categories, including for “The Bible in a Year.”
The live ceremony will take place at the Fairmont Hotel on Monday, March 11 at 8 p.m. local time in Austin, Texas.
"The Bible in a Year" is one of five nominees under the "Best Spirituality & Religion" category.
Other nominees include "The Bible Recap," "Elevation with Steve Furtick," "On Being with Krista Tippett," and "Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts."
iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group CEO Conal Byrne said the company is "thrilled to celebrate and once again empower these creators..."
As of December 2023, "The Bible in a Year" with Father Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins generated 660 million total downloads. In 2023 alone, the podcast generated 151 million downloads. It also continues to dominate the "Religion and Spirituality" charts on Apple podcasts. The podcast also hit the number-one spot in January of 2021 and 2022.
"The Bible in a Year" continues to receive raving reviews from its listeners. Many say they grew in faith, others even converted to Catholicism.
“Struggled with religion/belief in my life, but this podcast simplified and explained the Word of God for me," one listener wrote on Apple Podcasts. "I let God work on me through this podcast and now I’m getting baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church this Easter. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Into my fourth year reading the 'Bible in a Year' and realized I needed to go back to Catholicism after being born and raised a Catholic and attending a Pentecostal church for a lot of years," another listener wrote. "I’ve learned more in the last four years than ever. Thank you.”
Actor Chris Pratt also recently announced his "Bible in a Year" journey.
The actor, known for his roles in "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World," took a screenshot of the Hallow App, showing he made it to day 221 of the year-long podcast.
"Here's what I was listening to on my run portion ['Bible in a Year Podcast']," Pratt wrote. "Have loved using [the Hallow App]! What a great job, [Mark Wahlberg]!"
Pratt also explained in an Instagram stories video that his "Bible in a Year" adventure "will probably be more like Bible in a Year and a half, but I'm doing my best."
Click here to vote for "The Bible in a Year" in the iHeartPodcast Awards.
Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts began airing nationwide on Jan. 15. via EWTN Radio.
Nationally, the podcasts air back-to-back in a one-hour time slot beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Local radio affiliates who add the show to their lineup have the freedom to shift the program to a time that’s best for their audience. Listeners are therefore encouraged, EWTN says, to check the schedule of the EWTN affiliate in their area or listen for free on the EWTN app. More than 600 domestic and international AM and FM radio affiliates carry EWTN’s Catholic programming.