Best Audio Books - The Audie Awards

The Audie audiobook awards recognize audio book performers, authors, producers and publishers for their achievements and their standards of excellence within the audio book industry ...

Best Audio Books - The Audies Awards

Each year, the best audio books are selected by a panel of selected members of the Audio Publishers Association (APA) to receive the "best of" awards in over 30 audio book categories. These audio book awards are known as 'The Audies', and since 1996 audio book performers, authors, producers and publishers have been recognized for their achievements and their standards of excellence within the audio book industry.

Like the "Oscars" in the film industry, The "Audies" are completely dedicated to audiobook and spoken word entertainment and winning audio book titles are picked by a panel of distinguished judges from a shortlist of audio books that have been recognized as having made a significant impact on and contribution to the audiobook industry.

Audiobook industry awards are important not only to the audio book industry, but to listeners as well. The Audies help to raise awareness of audiobooks and contribute to the expansion of spoken word entertainment as an exciting and rich source of information, entertainment and education.

Audio Book Narrator Awards - Golden Voices

AudioFile Magazine publishes reviews of audiobooks, original audio programs, commentary and dramatizations in the spoken word format. Their main focus is on the audio presentation, not the critique of written material.

Each year, editors of AudioFile Magazine celebrate the commitment and contribution of audio book narrators to the craft of audiobook narration and their brilliant achievements in spoken-word recordings by awarding them with "Golden Voice" awards. This Hall of Fame showcases the audiobook industry's top narrators for their exceptional audiobook work.

Audio Book Awards - Earphones Awards

Each year AudioFile Magazine also awards Earphones awards to audio book narrators they consider to be truly exceptional presenters, and those who excel in narrative voice and style, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format, and enhancement of the text. 

If you are unsure of which audio book you should listen to next, then search for the winners of Audies awards and other audiobook awards in your favorite audio book category and you'll have a great list of "must listen to" audio books, since these titles will represent the highest quality and the very best of what the audiobook industry has to offer.

Audie Award Winners

Some of the past recent Audie winning audio book authors and titles have included:

• Audio books written by P.G. Wodehouse
• The Dybbuk by S. Ansky (This Audie Award-winning production of the most revered drama in the Yiddish repertoire is the only sound recording of the play in the English language.)
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Audies 2008 Winner - Classic Audio Books Category)
• More About Paddington By Michael Bond (Audies 2008 Winner - Children Up To 8 Audio Books Category)
• Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, Parents Choice Gold Award, Ohio State Award of Merit, Corporation for Public Broadcasting Silver Award)
• Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer (Audies 2008 Winner - Children 12+ Audio Books Category)
• Einstein by Walter Isaacson (Audies 2008 Winner - Biography / Memoir Audio Books Category)
• Sweeney Todd And the String Of Pearls by Yuri Rasovski (Audies 2008 Winner x 2 - Audio Drama Plus Achievement In Production Categories)
• Superman: Doomsday And Beyond Published by BBC Audiobooks (Winner of the Spoken Word Audio of the Year and the Audie Award for Best Dramatisation.)
• The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle (Winner of the 2007 Audie Award)
• The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke (2008 Audie Award Winner for Best Mystery Audio Book)
• Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History by George Crile (A Blackstone Audie® Award Winner.)
• NIV Dramatized Audio Bible - New Testament by the International Bible Society
• The Early Church: The Book Of Acts (The complete book of Acts taken from Zondervan’s acclaimed, Audie Award®-winning NIV Audio Bible Dramatized New Testament)
• The End Times: The Book Of Revelation (The complete book of Revelation taken from Zondervan’s acclaimed, Audie Award®-winning NIV Audio Bible Dramatized New Testament)
• In The Beginning: The Book Of Genesis (The complete book of Genesis taken from Zondervan’s acclaimed, Audie Award®-winning NIV Audio Bible Dramatized New Testament)
• The Life Of Christ: The Gospel Of Luke (The complete Gospel Of Luke taken from Zondervan’s acclaimed, Audie Award®-winning NIV Audio Bible Dramatized New Testament)
• The Lakota Way: Native American Wisdom On Ethics And Character by Joseph M. Marshall III (2004 Audie Award winner for the category of best inspirational audio)

Audio Book Narrators

Apart from the quality of an audio book's writing, recording and production, undoubtedly one of the most important elements that affect the listening experience and enjoyment of any audio book is the performing talent of the audio book narrator, whose difficult job is to convey the story and engage the listening audience without getting in the way of the listener and their focus on the story.

When choosing your next audio book, therefore, it helps to be familiar with some of the more respected audio book narrators in the audio narration industry.

Audie Award Winning Audio Book Narrators

• Barry Whitener (Winner of several awards, including the Audio Publishers Association's Audie and four Earphones Awards. Cited by AudioFile as being among "the best voices of the century.")
• Dick Hill (One of the most awarded narrators in the business, having earned three Audie Awards and numerous Earphones Awards, as well as being named a "Golden Voice" by AudioFile magazine)
• Grover Gardener (He is the recipient of more than thirteen Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.)
• Anna Fields (Winner of the coveted Audie Award in 2004).
• Christopher Lane (Audie award winner in 2004)
• Scott Brick (Winner of 18 Earphones Awards and the 2003 Audie Award in the category of best science fiction. He has recorded more than two hundred audiobooks in five years and earned AudioFile magazine's Golden Voice award in 2004.)
• Patrick Lawlor (AudioFile Earphones Award winner and Audie Award finalist)
• Simon Vance (Has received numerous AudioFile ‘Earphone’ awards and Audie Award nominations)
• Gerard Doyle (Awarded 11 AudioFile Earphones Awards and was a nominee for the 2006 Audie Awards)
• Stefan Rudnicki (Winner Of Grammy Award for production, the 2005 Audie Award for narration, and two AudioFile Earphones Awards).
• Barbara Rosenblat (Three-time recipient of the coveted Audie Award and winner of twenty-six Earphones Awards.)
• Kristoffer Tabori (His first solo narration won a 1993 Audie Award for best audiobook of the year.)
• William Dufris (Nominated for three AUDIE Awards and winner of thirteen Earphones Awards.)
• Simon Prebble (Audie Award nominee for Hitler's Scientists)
• Carrington MacDuffie (5 AudioFile Earphones awards for audioboook narration, and two Audie nominations)
• Humphrey Bower (Audie Award Winner And Nominee)
• Richard Rohan (2003 Audie Award winner in the Unabridged Nonfiction audio books category)
• Bernadette Dunne (Twice nominated for the Audie Award and winner of six AudioFile Earphones Awards)
• Ian McKellen (Internationally renowned stage and screen award winning actor and winner of 1997 Audie Award for narration)

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