Climate podcast earns top prize in university startup competition

“The Sweaty Penguin,” an award-winning PBS podcast reporting on environmental news, won a $20,000 first prize at Boston University's New Venture Competition, with judges acknowledging its focus on solutions journalism as a key reason for the award. Hallie Cordingley, then a student at BU and one of the producers, represented the podcast in the “Shark Tank”-style competition. Despite winning this financial support, the podcast lost its contract with WNET, a PBS member station, and had to reduce its team and cease production. They still occasionally post new stories and are working on producing resources for educators.