These awards are open to the majority of genres and programme categories – please see the details of each award for entry specifics. You can find more awards which are open to most genres and categories as part of the Diversity, accessibility and inclusivity awards.
Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence in association with the Rotunda Theatre
Brighton Fringe is the largest fringe festival in England and takes place in May. No artistic judgement or selection criteria are imposed on participants, enabling the development of both new and established work to attract fresh audiences, press and promoters. Brighton Fringe will take place from 05 May – 04 June 2023.
The Rotunda Theatre launched at Buxton Festival Fringe 2017. The team behind Grist To The Mill Productions have seen how small and medium-sized venues all around the UK are becoming less and less available to theatre companies. Due to the current economic climate, many of these venues are either closing down or being repurposed for educational or theatre outreach programs, and it is becoming more and more difficult for companies to program tours and get the dates they want. As the Rotunda can be erected anywhere where there is the space we hope to work with venues, promoters and communities all over the UK and bring exciting and entertaining work to new and existing audiences.
The Rotunda Theatre is housed in a 14m wide sky-blue geodesic dome. Inside it can be equipped with black-out, theatre lighting and sound facilities. The dome can easily accommodate 250 standing or up to 120 seated audiences in a semi-thrust theatre arrangement. We boast a performance area of 6m across by 4m deep, and are looking to increase the space in our backstage area for artists.
2022 award winner
- Experiment Human by Hooky Productions (Laughing Horse @ Dragonfly)
The Broadway Baby Bobby Award
Recognising that sometimes not all five-star shows are equal, Broadway Baby's iconic Bobby statuette is awarded to the best of the best shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Broadway Baby covers more shows than any other publication in Edinburgh, and while – on average – only 4% of the performances it sees are considered worthy of five stars, that's still approaching 200 productions in any one year.
All shows awarded five stars by Broadway Baby are automatically considered for the Bobby Award; first by the judging team and then those shortlisted are seen by a senior member of the editorial team. There are no set number of Bobby Awards; however in previous years an average of just five trophies are handed out over the entire festival. The Bobby is recognition that you have created something truly special.
Herald Angels Awards
Presented in association with the Festival Theatre.
Since their inception in 1996, the Herald Angel Awards have been an integral part of the Edinburgh Festival scene, celebrating and rewarding the diverse range of talent from the various festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The awards have been bestowed upon some of the world's most recognised names such as Hollywood star Alan Cumming and Irish playwright Enda Walsh. Herald Angels are awarded to the best of the festivals’ performers, venues and backstage crew who have managed to impress the Herald's distinguished panel of arts critics. In outstanding cases, the panel may award an ‘Archangel’ – the highest honour presented at the ceremony, while ‘little Devils’ are awarded to those who have overcome adversity, or in the true tradition of the festival, have demonstrated a 'show must go on' attitude.
Mervyn Stutter Spirit of the Fringe Award
The Mervyn Stutter Spirit of the Fringe Awards (aka the MERVs), along with Mervyn's regular Pick of the Fringe show, celebrated their 28th anniversary in 2019, making them one of the oldest Awards on the Fringe.
The Spirit of the Fringe Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, hard work, pluck and sheer doggedness demanded of performers from all genres on the Fringe to make a show a success.
Winners of a MERV are chosen from the 140 amazing shows that have been highlighted during the regular Pick of the Fringe showcases, so it is fair to say that the winners are the crème de la crème. Given this, it could justifiably be argued that this is the best show of the whole Pick of the Fringe run.
The Spirit of the Fringe Awards were created to recognise those who show commitment in the face of little support or funding or those who have consistently provided audiences with quality entertainment over the years. There is no application process as the Awards are issued at the judges' discretion.
For more information go to mervspotfringe.com.
2022 award winners
- The Mistake, Michael Mears' Essential Theatre (theSpace on North Bridge)
- Ballet Freedom, Freedom Ballet of Ukraine (Pleasance @ EICC)
- The Tiger Lillies: One Penny Opera, Bound & Gagged Comedy in association with Tim Whitehead (Underbelly, Bristo Square)
- Made in India/Britain, Rinkoo Barpaga, Deaf Explorer and Pleasance (Pleasance Courtyard)
- Taiwan Season: See You, Hung Dance (Dance Base)
- Aurie Styla: Green, Aurie Styla (Pleasance Courtyard)
- SK Shlomo: Breathe: The Play That Becomes a Rave, Gag Reflex supported by The Royal Albert Hall and Pleasance (Pleasance Dome)
- Black Is The Color Of My Voice, Play The Spotlight and James Seabright (Pleasance at EICC)
The ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards
Presented by Edinburgh Festival magazine ThreeWeeks, the Editors’ Awards go to the ten things that the ThreeWeeks editors believe made that year's festival extra special. These have one of the widest criteria of all the Fringe awards, as winners can be people, shows, companies, venues or even whole festivals. There are no criteria other than the winners bringing something extra special to the festival. There is no application process. Winners are announced at a small gathering on the last weekend of the festival.