UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Less than a year after its launch, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s "Democracy Works" podcast won best podcast in the Government and Organizations category in the 14th Annual People’s Choice Podcast Awards.

The 2018 awards ceremony was broadcast online Sunday as part of International Podcast Day. Shows were nominated by listeners around the world and voted on by 2,000 podcast producers.

Democracy Works debuted in March and new episodes are released each Monday. The show features interviews and analysis about issues that impact democracy — everything from the free press to civics education. The show’s hosts are McCourtney Institute Director Michael Berkman, Managing Director Chris Beem and Communications Specialist Jenna Spinelle.

In creating the show, the team realized that there was a niche to be filled by looking at political issues from an educational or nonpartisan perspective. To date, the show has reached listeners in 49 states and 75 countries.

“People inside and outside the United States are both concerned about the state of American democracy, and eager for media which is not confrontational, not partisan and not punditry,” Berkman said. “We are grateful to our many guests from within and outside Penn State who are doing the hard work of democracy and have chosen to share their time with us and our audience.”

Democracy Works is produced by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, with recording and editing by WPSU Penn State. Listen at democracyworkspodcast.com or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more information about the People's Choice Podcast Awards, visit podcastawards.com.