Comedy awards

The Comedians' Choice Awards, presented by British Comedy Guide

Best Show, Best Newcomer and Best Person, as determined by those involved in comedy shows.

All comedy shows and performers are automatically eligible for Best Show and Best Newcomer – no need to do anything to put yourself forward. Best Person tends to be for someone who works behind the scenes at the festival, eg a venue manager, flyerer or agent. Each comedy show in the brochure is invited to vote once for their favourite show, performer and person. You can't vote for anyone in your own show.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Counting House at 23:30 on Thursday 21 August 2025.

Visit comedy.co.uk for more information.

2025 award winners

• Best Show
  Alison Spittle: Big

• Best Newcomer
  Roger O'Sullivan

• Best Person
  Kyle Legacy

The Comedy Poster Awards, presented by British Comedy Guide

Recognising the best artwork related to comedy shows at the festival. Any poster related to a comedy show performing at the festival can be entered. The winner of the Audience Award is whichever poster gets the most votes on the website. The Panel Award is determined by a jury of industry professionals. Winners will be offered 2026 placements from poster distributors Out Of Hand.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Gilded Balloon Patter House at 22:00 on Monday 18 August 2025.

For more information please visit comedy.co.uk/posters.

2025 award winners

• Audience Award Winner
  Alison Spittle: Big
• Panel Award Winner
  Jessica Aszkenasy: Titclown

Edinburgh Comedy Awards

Established in 1981 the UK’s premier awards are now in their 43rd year. There are two awards:

Best Comic / Comedy Show: For the funniest, most outstanding, up-and-coming comic / comedy show / act at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The prize is £10,000.

Best Newcomer: For the performer or act who is performing their first full-length show (50 minutes or more) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The prize is £5,000. Please note that newcomers are eligible for the Best Comedy Show Award, if that is the Panel’s decision, but no act can appear on both shortlists in the same year.

For further information on the awards, please see comedyawards.co.uk.

2025 award winners

• Don and Eleanor Taffner Best Comedy Show award
  Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
• DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer award
  Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts
• The Victoria Wood Award (Panel Prize)
  Comedy Club 4 Kidz

Edinburgh Fringe Comedian of the Year

Annual search for the best comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe. 108 of the best comedians at the Fringe will be chosen to battle it out for audience votes until one comedian is victorious, earning the title of 'Edinburgh Fringe Comedian of the Year', a winner's trophy, and a cash prize of £1,000. 

Any comedians failing to win their heats and / or semi-finals have one more chance to progress. All shows are recorded and posted to YouTube and the online audience can vote for them to become wildcard entries into the next round.

All levels of comedians are eligible.

2025 award winner

• Joe da Costa

The European Comedy and Edinburgh Fringe Awards

The aim of this award is to showcase comedic talent within the European comedy scene to expose them to more performance opportunities around the world – in the UK, Europe and beyond. There are two awards:

• Best European Comedy Performer of the Fringe
• Best European Comedy Show of the Fringe

Award winners will received:

• paid performance opportunities in Barcelona in conjunction with the Comedy Clubhouse (flights and lodging included)
• feature article and interview on the Comedy Confession Booth
• performance slot at the first Barcelona Fringe Festival
• laurel for future promotional materials.

This award is open to any shows in the comedy genre, as long as the performer fulfils one of the following criteria:

• Started comedy in Europe (for more than two years)
• based in Europe while performing (for more than two years)
• currently based in Europe (for more than one year).

More information: europeancomedy.com/european-comedy-edinburgh-fringe-award

2025 award winners

• Best Performer
  Sofia May, 9/11 Birds and the Bees
  
  
• Best Show
  Comedians & Dragons

ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards

Run entirely by volunteers, 100% of whatever sponsorship is received will always be given to the artists in prizes.

For further information on the awards and full eligibility criteria, please see edinburghcomedyawards.com.

2025 award winners

Cassidy / Bowles / James Corden Award for Best Show

• Mark Forward Presents Safari Time
• Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern

Patrick Monahan Award for Best Newcomer

• Amelia Hamilton: Forget Me Not
• Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity

Lyons Award for Tech

• Alice Rebecca-Greening
• Eddie Fenton-Jones
• Jake Wood
• Josie Shipp

Takeover Radio 106.9FM Joke of the Fringe

• Jo Caulfield: 'Last time I got really drunk I woke up in this filthy bedroom, vomit all down me, some fat, naked bloke snoring next to me. I was like – oh right, at least I got home ok.'

The Rhod Gilbert Panel Prize

• Che Burnley
• Benny Shakes
• Flyerers: Louis Mangay, Josh Ferguson
• Lula.xyz 
• One4Review review team 
• Danny Ward: The Holiday / The Show for Gareth Richards (prize to be shared with Mark Simmons and Laura Richards)

Malcolm Hardee Awards

Malcolm Hardee (1950–2005) was a British comic, agent, manager, club-owner and anarchic prankster. The Malcolm Hardee Awards were initiated at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005, the year of his death, to celebrate and promote the spirit of madcap, anything-goes comedy anarchy that he personified.

There are three categories: Comic Originality, Cunning Stunt and Act That Should Make A Million Quid. There is no application process... judges will be scouring the festival automatically on the look out for nominees.

comedy.co.uk/hardees

2025 winners

• Comic Originality
  Paul Campbell: The Lost Tapes of Somerfield (Hoots)
• Cunning Stunt
  Dru Cripps
  For fishing for punters walking through the underpass at Potterow to advertise his musical show Juicy Bits.
• Act That Should Make a Million Quid
  Phil Ellis

NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy

A competition by NextUp (the Netflix of UK stand-up) to find the best comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The winner receives the biggest award in comedy – a two-metre inflatable trophy – plus carry case, pump, £500 cash and the option to have their show recorded and distributed worldwide by NextUp.

2025 winner

• Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts

(Some guy called) DAVE Joke of the Fringe

Annual search for the best one-liners being told at the Fringe. 

Comedians with shows at the Fringe can submit up to five one-liner jokes from their shows to [email protected] before 12:00 midday on Monday 11 August 2025.

All jokes will be whittled down by a team of industry professionals (TBA) and a longlist of 50 jokes will be released.

Our award creator and comedian, Will Mars, will then take a film crew to the Royal Mile to find a random guy called Dave who will be asked to pick his Top 10 jokes from the list and announce the winning joke.

The winner will receive the title of '(Some guy called) DAVE Joke of the Fringe 2025' as well as £250 and a shiny new trophy.

Comedians must be performing their own show at the Fringe to be considered.

2025 award winner

• Andy Gleeks: 'I had to visit the trauma unit last weekend. He prefers the term dad.'

So You Think You’re Funny?

The So You Think You’re Funny? competition was created by the Gilded Balloon and Karen Koren in 1988 to discover, support and nurture new comic talent.

2025 winners

• First prize
  Madeleine Brettingham
• Second prize
  Reb Day
• Third prize
  Joel Walker

Previous awards