Moab Podcast Back From Beyond Wins National Award for Search-and-Rescue Storytelling

A Moab podcast built around true search-and-rescue stories just earned national recognition for the very work that makes it matter most to desert canyon country visitors: keeping people alive out there.

Back From Beyond, which transforms real Grand County Search and Rescue missions into narrative audio with embedded outdoor safety lessons, was named a 2026 category winner in the Podcast of the Year Awards presented by AmericanWritingAwards.com. The podcast took the Government & Organizations category in a competition that spans dozens of genres including education, health, crime, sports, and business. Judges for the annual awards are described by the organization as industry professionals, authors, and college professors who evaluate entries on storytelling, pacing, and overall impact.

The submission came through Steward Moab, a nonprofit whose executive director, Anna Sprout, saw the award as a way to honor two distinct efforts at once. Sprout said the nonprofit entered the podcast for consideration "as a way to recognize both Marcello's audio work and the dedication of Grand County Search and Rescue," the volunteer team that last year logged 143 calls, the highest call volume since 2016.

That number matters. Anyone who has spent time in the canyon lands around Moab knows the terrain demands respect: slot canyons flood without warning, desert heat turns brutal by midday, and a wrong turn on slickrock can become a genuine emergency. Sprout framed the podcast's value in exactly those terms. "Safety considerations are an essential part of the Moab adventure," she wrote. "The best thing our destination can do is prepare visitors for a true Moab experience, one that goes right, while acknowledging the very real possibility of the unexpected."

Sprout has noted that the podcast's format allows it to share real-world experiences without losing the safety message that matters in a high-risk recreation landscape. That balance, narrative storytelling that actually delivers prevention information rather than burying it, is what sets Back From Beyond apart from a simple incident recap.

Marcello, the creator behind the podcast, welcomed the recognition as validation of something built from the ground up. "I'm very grateful it resonated with listeners, both within our Moab community and beyond it," Marcello said, calling it "very cool to see a local, grassroots-effort get this type of national recognition."

Episodes of Back From Beyond are available on major podcast platforms. If you are heading into the backcountry around Moab, it is worth a listen before you go, not as a caution against adventure, but as preparation for the real thing.