"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase" is Audiobook of the Year.

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Chalk another one up for Harry Potter. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth in the saga of the young English wizard-in-training — written for kids but read and listened to by everyone — made it into audiobook history Friday night in Washington, D.C. Narrated by the series' longtime reader, English actor Jim Dale, for Listening Library, it became the initial entry into the Audio Publishers Association's brand-new Hall of Fame.

The honor was bestowed at the APA's 11th Audie Awards ceremonies held at the National Press Club. The announcement of the results of a juried competition conducted by the APA, the audio industry's trade organization, has become a regular event in the whole book industry's annual extravaganza, Book Expo America, going on now in the nation's capital.

Another first-time Audie was a Spanish-language award. The not-too-surprising winner was Dan Brown's best seller, "El Código Da Vinci," narrated by Venezuelan TV star Raúl Amundaray (beating out "Don Quijote"). It was published in Florida by FonoLibro Inc., a Miami audio publisher also having its first year.

Audiobook of the Year was the inimitable "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase." Five years after the death of "Hitchhiker" author Doug Adams, Arthur Dent and his buddy, Ford Prefect, troll the universe on their flying sofa, producing some of the funniest, zaniest satire around. The audiobook came from Audio Partners, and the narration was organized by BBC Radio.

This year, Audies were awarded in 28 categories ranging from inspirational material to package design and including, of course, the tapes and CDs in better-known categories such as fiction, nonfiction, mystery and romance. The APA reports more than 700 entries this year and more than 100 judges.

And, now, the envelopes, please.

● Fiction, abridged: "Q&A," Vikas Swarup's account of a hapless Indian waiter's winning a billion-rupee TV quiz show only to wind up in jail because the show's sponsors haven't got the money! It is read by Canadian actor and London resident Kerry Shale, and produced by Audio Partners.

● Fiction, unabridged: "A Slight Trick of the Mind," written by one-time Tucsonan Mitch Cullin and read by British actor Simon Jones for HighBridge Audio. Cullin's focus is on a 93-year old Sherlock Holmes, who, having outlived Dr. Watson and practically everyone else he ever knew — good or evil — is now a quiet beekeeper.

● Nonfiction, abridged: "Luckiest Man" (the biography of Lou Gehrig), written by Jonathan Eig and read by veteran audio narrator Ed Hermann for Simon and Schuster Audio.

● Nonfiction, unabridged: "The World Is Flat," written by international affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman (whose column appears in the Arizona Daily Star ) and read by Oliver Wyman for Audio Renaissance.

● Mystery: "Serpent on the Crown," by Elizabeth Peters (part of the Egyptologist Amelia Peabody saga), narrated by award-winning reader Barbara Rosenblat for HarperCollins Audio.

● Romance: "Origin in Death," by Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen for Brilliance Audio.

● Biography/Memoir: "Garlic and Sapphires," written and read by former New York Times restaurant reviewer Ruth Reichl for Random House Audio.

● Science Fiction: "Market Forces," by Richard K. Morgan, narrated by Simon Vance for Tantor Media Inc. Morgan, who credits Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore for helping to form his political and economic insights, takes an unhappy look at Western capitalism.

● Humor: "The Truth (With Jokes)," written and read by Al Franken for Brilliance Audio. Franken's political commentary is sharp and determined.

● Children up to 8 years of age: "Arnie the Doughnut," written by Laurie Keller and read by Michael McKean for Weston Woods Studios. A silly little story about an ingenious and lovable doughnut who didn't want to be eaten — and wasn't.

● Children, 8 and older: "Star of Kazan," by Eva Ibbotson, read by Patricia Connolly for Recorded Books. Set in Vienna in the early 20th century, this is a tale of pluck and luck for its young heroine.

● Personal Development: "The Five Love Languages," written and read by marriage counselor Gary Chapman for Oasis Audio.

The top male audio reader for 2005 was the late William Hootkins, whose entry was "Moby Dick," read for Naxos AudioBooks Ltd. Hootkins, a "Star Wars" veteran, was American-born but British-trained. He died of pancreatic cancer in October.

Davina Porter, top female reader, who read Phoenix author Diana Gabaldon's "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" for Recorded Books, has been listed by AudioFile magazine as one of the audio industry's "golden voices."

A complete listing of all the Audie winners is available at www.audiopublishers.com online.

The black-tie Audies gala banquet was inaugurated at the 1996 BookExpo America held in Chicago. Before then, the APA had conducted juried competitions, the results of which were announced at informal receptions. Titles eligible for this year's contest were issued between Nov. 1, 2004, and Oct. 31, 2005.