The DIG Awards are an international competition celebrating the best in investigative video and audio journalism from around the world.

After unveiling the 25 investigations and reportage competing in the Video category, we’re excited to announce the five finalists in the Audio & Podcast category.

Five podcast series from around the world uncovering stories of exploitation, corruption and abuse, while exposing the hidden systems behind them.

The winners of the DIG Awards will be revealed during a public ceremony at the heart of the DIG Festival on Saturday, September 26.

Below are brief descriptions of the works selected as finalists in the Audio & Podcast category.

Arachnid – Hunting the Web’s Darkest Secrets, by Susanne Reber, Bruce Edwards, Robert Cribb, Wendy Ann Clark, Shaghayegh Tajvidi, Laurie Few and Allison Leyton Brown (independent), takes listeners into the hidden world of online child sexual abuse and the efforts to stop its spread.

Boy Wasted, by Dan Ashby, Lucy Taylor and Adnan R. Khan (independent), exposes the abuse of refugee workers in Turkish recycling plants that process British waste.

The Child Cancer Scam, by Neil McCarthy, Rebecca Henschke and Simi Jolaoso (BBC Eye) uncovers a global network of scammers exploiting sick children and their families.

The Expert Witness, by Sam Mullins, David Waters and Jessica Hatcher (CBC), explores the rise of a Canadian AI tool used by police to solve cold murder cases and the serious flaws that cast doubt on its accuracy and reliability.

White Collar, Dirty Hands, by Nathan Jaccard, Juan Serrano and Laura Weffer (OCCRP, La No Ficción) delves into Venezuela’s collapse through the lens of one of the largest corruption scandals in the country.