Calling all women creators, innovators and entrepreneurs! Seneca Women and iHeartRadio are searching for the next ten breakout female podcast stars to develop and launch their shows through the Seneca Women Podcast Academy, an exclusive incubator with iHeart. This is YOUR chance to get your podcast into earbuds all across the globe – submit your pitch now!

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted for this project. On behalf of Tongal, iHeartRadio, and Seneca Women, we really enjoyed reviewing all of your fantastic pitches! To learn more about the 10 winners, check out our announcement page and stay tuned to Tongal for more fun podcasting projects in the future. 

Seneca Women and iHeartRadio are teaming up to bring ten new podcasts produced and hosted by women to life through the Seneca Women Podcast Academy, an exclusive incubator with iHeart, and we want to hear from YOU. On average, women listen to more podcasts per week, for longer, than men, but most of the top-charting podcasts have male hosts.

Together, we want to build the next generation of female podcast stars by passing the mic – literally – to the smartest, funniest, fiercest, and most diverse women. If you've got a story to tell, expertise to share, or inspiration to give, then this is your chance to create the podcast that brings your passion, vision, and creativity to life. 

Excited to get started? Let's go! 

Seneca Women and iHeartRadio will provide ten finalists with six weeks of unparalleled training through the inaugural Seneca Women Podcast Academy with iHeart; technical and creative support throughout your podcasting journey; promotion and placement; professional podcasting equipment; and a one-time $3,000 greenlight bonus, all to help make your podcast dreams a reality. So what are you waiting for –- submit your pitch now! 

What's the process?

Submit your pitch between March 1–21, 2022. Once the submission period has ended, all pitches will be evaluated by the Tongal, Seneca Women, and iHeartRadio teams, who will choose ten finalists to join the inaugural incubator. The Seneca Women Podcast Academy with iHeart will be a six-week virtual incubator course, through which the ten finalists will create their podcasts for distribution and promotion on the Seneca Women Podcast Network through the powerful iHeartPodcast Network.

Your podcast can be about any topic and in any format, and your pitch treatment should break down how you envision your story unfolding: the length of your episodes, and how many episodes your season will consist of, is up to you. Whether you're a seasoned podcast producer or you've never even touched a microphone before, we're interested in hearing your pitch. Submissions can come from any woman or female-presenting creator, anywhere in the world. It just has to get us EXCITED! 

If you previously pitched on the 2020 or 2021 Next Great Podcast projects from iHeartRadio but weren't greenlit, you are welcome to resubmit your pitch for this project.

*NOTE: If this is your first time on Tongal, you will need to create an account before submitting your podcast pitch.

PRIZING: Ten (10) finalists will be greenlit into the inaugural Seneca Women Podcast Academy with iHeart for six weeks of training and support as they produce their podcasts; professional podcasting equipment; and promotion and distribution on the Seneca Women Podcast Network on iHeart. In addition, each finalist will receive a one-time $3,000 greenlight bonus.

DETAILS: To pitch on this project, you will need to submit the following: 

• A short synopsis that describes the idea behind your podcast.
• A treatment that outlines your series in more detail (for example, an overview of your podcast series that includes an episode outline, description of your audience, personal bio, and your creative approach).
• Links to your past work (audio, video, etc) and/or social media profiles (optional).
• A one (1) minute audio trailer for your podcast (optional).
• Casting boards and/or notes for your host or any voice actors (optional).
• A pitch video to introduce yourself to Seneca Women and iHeartRadio (optional, but highly recommended).

The Seneca Women to Hear: Search for the Next Great Female Podcasters Project is open for submissions from 9:00 am PT on Wednesday, March 1, 2022 to 11:59 am PT on Monday, March 21, 2022. Participants must be thirteen years or older at the time of entry. No purchase necessary to enter or win. See Official Rules at https://tongal.com/about/official-rules for eligibility and other requirements.

If you have any issues with your submission, please reach out to us at info@tongal.com at least 2 hours before the deadline.

Seneca Women is a global leadership platform that works to amplify the voices of women and advance women in the economy and around the world. Seneca Women has sought to accelerate women’s progress through signature thought leadership events at Davos, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Stock Exchange, as well as through a weekly newsletter, Fast Forward Girls programs, and significant partnerships with major organizations, including Apple, Bank of America, Bloomberg, The Coca-Cola Company, P&G, Intel, Walmart, the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Supreme Court, among others. The Seneca Women Podcast Network on iHeartMedia, launched with founding partner P&G, builds on the success of this work amplifying the voices of women. Seneca Women has also recently launched The Card by Seneca Women, powered by Mastercard and Deserve, issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC. It’s the first card that rewards you when you shop from women-owned businesses in The Marketplace by Seneca Women.

iHeartRadio is America's #1 audio company, reaching 9 out of 10 Americans every month. The iHeartPodcast Network is the #1 podcast publisher and distributor globally, with over 220M downloads a month across the network.

The iHeartPodcast Network is the #1 podcast publisher globally, where the largest audience in audio (over 30 million listeners monthly) meets the most creative talent.

RIGHTS & PARTICIPATION: 

• Submissions Not Selected by Sponsor: All rights to pitch submissions that are NOT selected by sponsor will revert back to the submitters six (6) months after the close of the project.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this podcast.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): An overview of your podcast series that includes an episode outline, description of your audience, personal bio, and creative approach. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
  
  
• EMAIL ADDRESS (Optional): If you are open to direct outreach from the Seneca Women team about upcoming opportunities, seminars, or events, please share your email address in this field. This is entirely optional, and your email address will not be shared without your consent.
  
  
• LINKS (Optional): To your previous podcast/audio work, video work, and/or your social media profiles. Please specify your role (producer, host, sound engineer, researcher, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual projects and episodes.
  
  
• AUDIO TRAILER (Optional): A one-minute audio trailer for your podcast.
  
  
• CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Links to relevant past work, casting notes, etc. for your host or any voice actors.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch.  For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the Sponsor gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

Up to ten of the most compelling pitches will be greenlit, and upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment, the responsible creators will receive a one-time $3,000 greenlight bonus and be connected directly with Seneca Women and iHeartRadio to join the exclusive virtual incubator and produce their podcasts. 

All submitters will also receive an automated email notification when a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed. 

1. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is .wav, .mp4, or, if your audio is in a video container, HD 720p 16x9. Acceptable file formats are .wav, .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable video codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. SUBMISSIONS NOT SELECTED BY SPONSOR: ALL RIGHTS TO PITCH SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE NOT SELECTED BY SPONSOR WILL REVERT BACK TO THE SUBMITTERS SIX (6) MONTHS AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE PROJECT. SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
5. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
7. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
8. Podcasts must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Podcasts based on their prior work and experience as a podcaster.
    
    
13. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Podcasts without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-record so try to get as much coverage as possible.
    
    
14. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Podcast creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Podcasts, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings.
    
    
15. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.