THE LONG LIST, SHORT LIST & WINNERS
ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS WINNERS 2025
CASSIDY/BOWLES/JAMES CORDEN AWARD FOR BEST SHOW
PATRICK MONAHAN AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER
THE LYONS AWARD FOR TECH
TAKEOVER RADIO 106.9FM JOKE OF THE FRINGE
All 5 Nominees are winners of the 2025 Rhod Gilbert ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize plus Danny Ward for his show The Holiday and the Show for Gareth Richards, prize to be shared with Mark Simmons and Laura Richards.
CASSIDY/BOWLES/JAMES CORDEN AWARD FOR BEST SHOW
- Mark Forward Presents Safari Time – Gilded Balloon 20:20
- Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern - Monkey Barrel 12:45
PATRICK MONAHAN AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER
- Amelia Hamilton: Forget Me Not - Pleasance 21:45
- Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity – Monkey Barrel 13:30
THE 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.'
All 5 Nominees are winners of the 2025 Rhod Gilbert ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize plus Danny Ward for his show The Holiday and the Show for Gareth Richards, prize to be shared with Mark Simmons and Laura Richards.
Photos by Steve Best
ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS SHORT-LISTS 2025
Here are the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominees for Best Show and Best Newcomer for 2025, 15 shows for Best Show and 10 for Best Newcomer. All are still in the running for the £4000 in prizes each for these two Awards plus there is a £3000 Panel Prize, £1000 Best Tech prize and £500.01 for Joke of the Fringe. Watch this space! 100% of the sponsorship from 6 brilliant people and organisations goes on the prizes to support artists, the shows are judged by around 30 volunteers who were at the Fringe anyway.
Here are the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominees for Best Show and Best Newcomer for 2025, 15 shows for Best Show and 10 for Best Newcomer. All are still in the running for the £4000 in prizes each for these two Awards plus there is a £3000 Panel Prize, £1000 Best Tech prize and £500.01 for Joke of the Fringe. Watch this space! 100% of the sponsorship from 6 brilliant people and organisations goes on the prizes to support artists, the shows are judged by around 30 volunteers who were at the Fringe anyway.
CASSIDY/BOWLES/JAMES CORDEN AWARD FOR BEST SHOW
- Amy Webber: Wannabe - Just The Tonic 17:20
- Danny Ward: The Holiday - PBH Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth 12:00
- Eric Rushton: Innkeeper - Monkey Barrel 15:20
- Gareth Mutch: Maybe Tomorrow - The Stand 18:05
- Garry Starr: Classic Penguins - Underbelly 21:30
- John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven - Pleasance 21:00
- Jordan Brookes: Work in Progress - Pleasance 22:40
- Jordan Gray: Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me? – Assembly 21:05
- Laura Lexx: Slinky – Monkey Barrel 15:50
- Mark Forward Presents Safari Time – Gilded Balloon 20:20
- Olaf Falafel Asks: Orange You Glad? - Free Festival @ Counting House 14:30
- Pear: Phobia – Underbelly 19:20
- Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern - Monkey Barrel 12:45
- Roger O’Sullivan: Fekken – Hoots @ The Apex 12:40
- Sikisa: Serving Justice - Monkey Barrel 17:50
PATRICK MONAHAN AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER
- Alex Stringer: Happy Hour - Pleasance 18:00
- Amelia Hamilton: Forget Me Not - Pleasance 21:45
- Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity – Monkey Barrel 13:30
- Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts - Pleasance 16:45
- Dirty Work – Underbelly 17:25
- Ed Mulvey: Pregnant Gollum – PBH Free Fringe @ Carbon 17:40
- Kit Loyd: Frenzy - Assembly 20:20
- Love Hunt - Just The Tonic 12:10
- Molly McGuinness: Slob - Monkey Barrel 14:55
- Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby – Pleasance 20:40
THE LYONS AWARD FOR TECH
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the first ever Lyons Award for Tech, created to celebrate the extraordinary technicians who keep comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe running seamlessly from behind the scenes from one hot key to the next.
Sponsor Elf Lyons says ‘This is the very first year the award has been presented, and the response has been overwhelming. The standard of nominations was incredibly high, with artists and producers across the Fringe recognising the vital contribution of their technical teams and putting them forward. Each of the shortlisted technicians is currently working on at least four comedy shows a day, handling demanding technical requirements that include hot keys, projection, improvisation, lighting and sound. Many also manage haze, live music, and other complex production elements, often across multiple shows every day and with minutes to spare from one show to the next. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all those who were long-listed, and to our final short-list, a group of artists who represent the dedication, creativity, and craft of comedy’s often overlooked and essential teammates at this festival.’
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the first ever Lyons Award for Tech, created to celebrate the extraordinary technicians who keep comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe running seamlessly from behind the scenes from one hot key to the next.
- Alice Rebecca-Greening
- Beth Hamilton
- Charlie Beveridge
- Charlie Miller
- Damian Robertson
- Eddie Fenton-Jones
- Jak Wooley
- Jake Wood
- Josie Shipp
- Mali Werner
- Sam Dodgson
Sponsor Elf Lyons says ‘This is the very first year the award has been presented, and the response has been overwhelming. The standard of nominations was incredibly high, with artists and producers across the Fringe recognising the vital contribution of their technical teams and putting them forward. Each of the shortlisted technicians is currently working on at least four comedy shows a day, handling demanding technical requirements that include hot keys, projection, improvisation, lighting and sound. Many also manage haze, live music, and other complex production elements, often across multiple shows every day and with minutes to spare from one show to the next. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all those who were long-listed, and to our final short-list, a group of artists who represent the dedication, creativity, and craft of comedy’s often overlooked and essential teammates at this festival.’
TAKEOVER RADIO 106.9FM JOKE OF THE FRINGE
Announcing the Top 10 TakeOver Radio 106.9FM Jokes of the Fringe
Jokes work better over video - check the winners out on ISH founder Nathan Cassidy's YouTube here and (jokes 6-10) on our insta reels or below.
in no particular order... winner to be announce at the Ceremony
Announcing the Top 10 TakeOver Radio 106.9FM Jokes of the Fringe
Jokes work better over video - check the winners out on ISH founder Nathan Cassidy's YouTube here and (jokes 6-10) on our insta reels or below.
in no particular order... winner to be announce at the Ceremony
- 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.'
- Danny Ward 'A lot of people don't realise that 'Edinburgh Festival' is actually an acronym, and it stands for Expensive Digs Including Nasty Bathrooms Urgently Requiring God's Help... Fricking Extortionate Scottish Trip Invariably Valuing Artists Least.'
- Jamie D'Souza 'I'm mixed race, it's a bit of a weird mix. I'm Swiss Indian, so Swindian - not from Swindon it's not that bad. I thought at school I'll turn it into a positive and give myself a nickname 'Swiss Chocolate'. It didn't catch on they called me the Bounty instead, you know because I was brown on the outside... and nobody liked me.'
- Olaf Falafel - 'Don't fall for the Deep Fry My Money investment scheme - that's how I frittered away my savings.'
- Andrew White 'There is of course a gay feudal system, it goes from Gay Lord all the way down to the Village People.'
- Eric Rushton 'My idea was to join a University society, be around people who had the same passion as me. So I joined the comedy society. I could have hung out with the maths kids, I just thought they weren't socially awkward and neurodivergent enough for me.'
- Sikisa 'A ceiling spider is the worst kind of spider in the world. It's looking at me, I'm looking at it. I'm like 'you know what, you can have the bedroom, I'm gonna go sleep on the sofa.' That was two weeks ago. I feel like sliding a piece of paper under my bedroom door and saying 'hey, can you pay for half the WiFi please?' I mean a spider can afford it, it is a web developer.'
- Alex Bertulis-Fernandes 'I present my naked body like I'm presenting Art Attack. I'm like, here's something I prepared earlier, there was a lot of macaroni involved.'
- Paul Sinha 'I put 20 quid on a horse at 15/1 which was stupid because horses are useless at general knowledge.'
- Jordan Brookes (his pick-up artist joke... the joke is too long to publicise)...
So go see the show, and all of these shows!
THE RHOD GILBERT PANEL PRIZE
Announcing the 5 Nominees for the 2025 Rhod Gilbert ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize. We are using these nominations to highlight the incredible support that these individuals and organisations give to artists and others at the Fringe.
Che Burnley - Che says 'The Alternative Black Comedy Showcase has been running for 7 years in Edinburgh trying to give a platform and voice to Black (from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds) comics in Edinburgh. It has featured people like Paul Sinha, Desiree Burch, Langston Kerman and Sikisa. We also runs workshops to try to get black kids into areas where they are not usually represented, not just on stage but behind the scenes in A/V tech backgrounds, writing and specialised acts such as circus skills etc. as in other clubs there is a more cabaret element to the show. Off the back of that is a plan to deliver mental heath comedy workshops with a similar aim but for the older black generations who may have been missed out. It's basically about, entertainment, opportunities and care for groups often left out of the discussion or with different needs.'
Benny Shakes - at Disabled Cants www.disabledcants.co.uk - Benny took this show over from Steve Day in 2023 to give ore disabled people a platform to practice their craft. It has a showcase at Bar 50 here in Edinburgh and now they have helped over 200 disabled artists around England to follow their dreams. Benny says 'it's not about me it's about helping the next generation of comedians.'
Five flyerers - we are going to choose five flyerers this year to nominate for the Panel Prize to represent the hundreds of amazing flyerers in Edinburgh working so hard at something that is crucial to support artists and spread the word about their shows. There are some really amazing people doing flyering in Edinburgh, one of which is Louis Mangay, who flyers for several shows, as to most flyerers up here, another is Josh Ferguson, flying for Daniel Muggleton, Michael Shafar, Cal Halbert and Comedy For The Curious. More great flyerers to be named here soon!
Lula.xyz - Award-winning artist Lula.xyz created Edinburgh Fringe with Spice, a new initiative to champion Global Majority and non-white performers at the Fringe. The project, launched at Edinburgh Fringe 2025, includes a dedicated brochure, an online hub, and free ticket giveaways to reach audiences who might otherwise miss these performances. With nearly 4,000 shows programmed this year, fewer than 10% centre artists of colour, according to the Fringe of Colour database. Lula.xyz’s brochure, available online now and in print, makes it easier for festivalgoers to discover and support these shows. The full brochure and show listings are available at lula.xyz. Lula says ’12 months ago, I had pitched the POC brochure and a digital centralised place where people can find us at the festival with ease, Fringe of Colour did the yearly database but I thought something that was public facing would have a bigger impact for artists, programmes and audience alike. No one took the bait. I believed it was essential, so I felt compelled to just do it. January 2024, I started the process to work towards creating it myself. I attempted to go through the traditional channels to get support to make it happen but failed. The final nail on the coffin came on July 10th, when my grant application was turned down. But my will was unwavering; Expecting to pay for it myself, I did a call out for artists on July 19th. 110 artists heard about it and submitted. For the remainder, I used the Fringe of Colour database to fill in the gaps. The City of Edinburgh heard about what I was doing and committed to support me to make this happen. And I went to work. This is just the 1st step, next year will look very different.’
One4Review review team - Geoff and the team of reviewers One4Review initiated with ISH founder Nathan Cassidy the increase of reviewing of Free Shows at the Fringe, something that in the past has been overlooked by many publications. One reviewer Steve Hutchison has, as of a few days ago, reviewed nearly 100 shows, and over a third were from the Free. And that's just one reviewer. The whole team work as volunteers and give fair and honest assessments of shows, uninfluenced by PR, venue etc, they are just looking to support artists by reviewing shows wherever and whenever they may be, a level playing field, as it should be!
Announcing the 5 Nominees for the 2025 Rhod Gilbert ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize. We are using these nominations to highlight the incredible support that these individuals and organisations give to artists and others at the Fringe.
Che Burnley - Che says 'The Alternative Black Comedy Showcase has been running for 7 years in Edinburgh trying to give a platform and voice to Black (from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds) comics in Edinburgh. It has featured people like Paul Sinha, Desiree Burch, Langston Kerman and Sikisa. We also runs workshops to try to get black kids into areas where they are not usually represented, not just on stage but behind the scenes in A/V tech backgrounds, writing and specialised acts such as circus skills etc. as in other clubs there is a more cabaret element to the show. Off the back of that is a plan to deliver mental heath comedy workshops with a similar aim but for the older black generations who may have been missed out. It's basically about, entertainment, opportunities and care for groups often left out of the discussion or with different needs.'
Benny Shakes - at Disabled Cants www.disabledcants.co.uk - Benny took this show over from Steve Day in 2023 to give ore disabled people a platform to practice their craft. It has a showcase at Bar 50 here in Edinburgh and now they have helped over 200 disabled artists around England to follow their dreams. Benny says 'it's not about me it's about helping the next generation of comedians.'
Five flyerers - we are going to choose five flyerers this year to nominate for the Panel Prize to represent the hundreds of amazing flyerers in Edinburgh working so hard at something that is crucial to support artists and spread the word about their shows. There are some really amazing people doing flyering in Edinburgh, one of which is Louis Mangay, who flyers for several shows, as to most flyerers up here, another is Josh Ferguson, flying for Daniel Muggleton, Michael Shafar, Cal Halbert and Comedy For The Curious. More great flyerers to be named here soon!
Lula.xyz - Award-winning artist Lula.xyz created Edinburgh Fringe with Spice, a new initiative to champion Global Majority and non-white performers at the Fringe. The project, launched at Edinburgh Fringe 2025, includes a dedicated brochure, an online hub, and free ticket giveaways to reach audiences who might otherwise miss these performances. With nearly 4,000 shows programmed this year, fewer than 10% centre artists of colour, according to the Fringe of Colour database. Lula.xyz’s brochure, available online now and in print, makes it easier for festivalgoers to discover and support these shows. The full brochure and show listings are available at lula.xyz. Lula says ’12 months ago, I had pitched the POC brochure and a digital centralised place where people can find us at the festival with ease, Fringe of Colour did the yearly database but I thought something that was public facing would have a bigger impact for artists, programmes and audience alike. No one took the bait. I believed it was essential, so I felt compelled to just do it. January 2024, I started the process to work towards creating it myself. I attempted to go through the traditional channels to get support to make it happen but failed. The final nail on the coffin came on July 10th, when my grant application was turned down. But my will was unwavering; Expecting to pay for it myself, I did a call out for artists on July 19th. 110 artists heard about it and submitted. For the remainder, I used the Fringe of Colour database to fill in the gaps. The City of Edinburgh heard about what I was doing and committed to support me to make this happen. And I went to work. This is just the 1st step, next year will look very different.’
One4Review review team - Geoff and the team of reviewers One4Review initiated with ISH founder Nathan Cassidy the increase of reviewing of Free Shows at the Fringe, something that in the past has been overlooked by many publications. One reviewer Steve Hutchison has, as of a few days ago, reviewed nearly 100 shows, and over a third were from the Free. And that's just one reviewer. The whole team work as volunteers and give fair and honest assessments of shows, uninfluenced by PR, venue etc, they are just looking to support artists by reviewing shows wherever and whenever they may be, a level playing field, as it should be!
ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LISTS 2025
After seeing the eligible shows, the judges for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards recommended any they thought were their best ie funniest shows and newcomers for the 2025 'Long Lists' below. As the last 2 years, this is by no way a list of everything that is exceptional at the Edinburgh Fringe. We saw so many more exceptional shows than those listed as we can't long-list everybody we loved.
As we also know, judging comedy is subjective and fairly unscientific, but our main rule was did the show make the audience and/or judge laugh lots on the day we saw it and do we think it could be judged as the best show or the best newcomer on the Fringe (full judging criteria on this site). That's quite a high bar of course. And there's always a chance that we saw your show on the wrong day for you (doesn't that always happen?!) but we did see shows multiple times to try to offset that - in short, we did our very best!
So, we repeat, this list obviously does not represent by any means the definitive list of what is great at the Fringe, it's just our panel of judges' opinions, and at the end of the day you will hear much better from the streets and word of mouth what to see, always listen to the streets rather than awards and reviews! And we hope that you're kind to us as you were for the last two years - we are doing this purely as volunteers, and we have 100% of any sponsorship going straight to the artists. It takes many hours and we do our best, often we pay for tickets for the shows to further support the artists and thank you again for all the venues support helping us in with free tickets when we've needed it - thank you! We now have the almost impossible job of getting this down to a list of 10 or less for the two short-lists which will be released on the afternoon of Wed Aug 20th. On this day as well we will be releasing the short-lists for the The Lyons Award for Best Tech and Takeover Radio 106.9FM Joke Of The Fringe. And there's The Rhod Gilbert Panel Prize of course - have you seen someone doing something amazing at the Fringe outside of the shows themselves, something extraordinary where someone is helping other artists - do let us know!
Anyway, here's this years's long-lists for Best Show and Best Newcomer...
After seeing the eligible shows, the judges for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards recommended any they thought were their best ie funniest shows and newcomers for the 2025 'Long Lists' below. As the last 2 years, this is by no way a list of everything that is exceptional at the Edinburgh Fringe. We saw so many more exceptional shows than those listed as we can't long-list everybody we loved.
As we also know, judging comedy is subjective and fairly unscientific, but our main rule was did the show make the audience and/or judge laugh lots on the day we saw it and do we think it could be judged as the best show or the best newcomer on the Fringe (full judging criteria on this site). That's quite a high bar of course. And there's always a chance that we saw your show on the wrong day for you (doesn't that always happen?!) but we did see shows multiple times to try to offset that - in short, we did our very best!
So, we repeat, this list obviously does not represent by any means the definitive list of what is great at the Fringe, it's just our panel of judges' opinions, and at the end of the day you will hear much better from the streets and word of mouth what to see, always listen to the streets rather than awards and reviews! And we hope that you're kind to us as you were for the last two years - we are doing this purely as volunteers, and we have 100% of any sponsorship going straight to the artists. It takes many hours and we do our best, often we pay for tickets for the shows to further support the artists and thank you again for all the venues support helping us in with free tickets when we've needed it - thank you! We now have the almost impossible job of getting this down to a list of 10 or less for the two short-lists which will be released on the afternoon of Wed Aug 20th. On this day as well we will be releasing the short-lists for the The Lyons Award for Best Tech and Takeover Radio 106.9FM Joke Of The Fringe. And there's The Rhod Gilbert Panel Prize of course - have you seen someone doing something amazing at the Fringe outside of the shows themselves, something extraordinary where someone is helping other artists - do let us know!
Anyway, here's this years's long-lists for Best Show and Best Newcomer...
CASSIDY/BOWLES/JAMES CORDEN AWARD FOR BEST SHOW
- Alice Cockayne: Licensed, Professional. Trained. - Pleasance 22:40
- Alice Fraser: A Passion for Passion - Underbelly 18:50
- Amy Webber: Wannabe - Just The Tonic 17:20
- Barry Ferns: My Seven Years as Lionel Richie – Just The Tonic 18:40
- Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling at the Moon - Monkey Barrel 21:00
- Danny Ward: The Holiday - PBH Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth 12:00
- Ed Night: Your Old Mucker - Monkey Barrel 16:45
- Elouise Eftos: Australia's First Attractive Comedian - Pleasance 20:30
- Eric Rushton: Innkeeper - Monkey Barrel 15:20
- Gareth Mutch: Maybe Tomorrow - The Stand 18:05
- Garry Starr: Classic Penguins - Underbelly 21:30
- Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It - Pleasance 21:30
- Ian Smith: Foot Spa Half Empty - Monkey Barrel 12:30
- James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum) - Underbelly 20:15
- Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time) – Monkey Barrel 21:30
- John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven - Pleasance 21:00
- Jordan Brookes: Work in Progress - Pleasance 22:40
- Jordan Gray: Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me? – Assembly 21:05
- Kate Dolan: The Critic – Assembly 18:25
- Katie Norris: Go West, Old Maid – Pleasance 19:40
- Kieran Hodgson: Voice Of America - Pleasance 21:30
- Laura Davis: Despair is Beneath Us – Monkey Barrel 17:45
- Laura Lexx: Slinky – Monkey Barrel 15:50
- Luke McQueen: Comedian's Comedian - Pleasance 21:40
- Mark Forward Presents Safari Time – Gilded Balloon 20:20
- Mike Rice: Cruel Little Man – Monkey Barrel 21:15
- Nate Kitch: Something Different!!!!! – Gilded Balloon 17:00
- Olaf Falafel Asks: Orange You Glad? - Free Festival @ Counting House 14:30
- Pauline Eyre: Anyone For Tennis - Hoots 12:30
- Pear: Phobia – Underbelly 19:20
- Phil Ellis: Soppy Stern - Monkey Barrel 12:45
- Raymond Mearns: Roast Master – Scottish Comedy Festival @ Beehive Inn 19:45
- Reuben Solo: Someone in This Crowd Will Betray Me - Just The Tonic 20:50
- Robin Grainger: People Pleaser – The Stand 20:20
- Roger O’Sullivan: Fekken – Hoots @ The Apex 12:40
- Ruaridh Miller: It's Pronounced "Ruaridh" - Hoots 21:50
- Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer – Pleasance 17:40
- Sikisa: Serving Justice - Monkey Barrel 17:50
- Stephen Buchanan: Cold Meat – Monkey Barrel 16:20
- Tim Biglowe: Landlubber – PBH Free Fringe @ Slow Progress Cafe and Records 12:15
PATRICK MONAHAN AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER
- Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love - Pleasance 23:00
- Alana Jackson: Last Orders – Gilded Balloon 17:00
- Alex Stringer: Happy Hour - Pleasance 18:00
- Alex Bertulis-Fernandes: May Find Distressing – Free Festival @ Counting House 16:30
- Amelia Hamilton: Forget Me Not - Pleasance 21:45
- Arthur Vinegar: Good Boy – PBH Free Fringe @ Greek Gyros Grill 00:30
- Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity – Monkey Barrel 13:30
- Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts - Pleasance 16:45
- Dirty Work – Underbelly 17:25
- Ed Mulvey: Pregnant Gollum – PBH Free Fringe @ Carbon 17:40
- Jessie Nixon: Don’t Make Me Regret This – Assembly 19:20
- Jodie Sloan: Is She Hot? – Pleasance 16:35
- Kayleigh Jones: I Fed My Dad to a Pelican – Gilded Balloon
- Kit Loyd: Frenzy - Assembly 20:20
- Love Hunt - Just The Tonic 12:10
- Molly McGuinness: Slob - Monkey Barrel 14:55
- The Mayor and his Daughter – Assembly 16:10
- Shalaka Kurup: Get a Grip – Pleasance 20:20
- Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER – Underbelly 18:40
- Ted Milligan: United – Pleasance 21:45
- Thor Stenhaug: One Night Stand Baby – Pleasance 20:40
- Toussaint Douglas: Accessible Pigeon Material – Pleasance 19:25
Good luck everybody - long-listed shows will now be seen by the judges so they've all been seen an equal number of times, then judges will votes for their favourites for the short-lists. These will be announced next Wednesday 20th along with nominees for the Lyons Awards for Best Tech, TakeOver Radio 106.9FM Joke of The Fringe and the Rhod Gilbert Panel Prize. Now get out and support these and all the other great shows on the Fringe - take a chance on something!
PREVIOUS YEARS...
ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARD WINNERS 2024
The Jones Bootmaker ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards announced the Winners for Best Show, Best Newcomer and Panel Prize for 2024.
Best Show - Elf Lyons: Horses
Best Newcomer - Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows
Panel Prize - Joint Winners are Alex Petty, Best in Class, Dion Owen, Elaine Robertson and Funny Women Glitter Project
Each prize is £5,000 and a year’s supply of shoes from sponsors Jones Bootmaker. The Panel Prize was split equally between the 5 Winners. 100% of the sponsorship from Jones Bootmaker went on the prizes. The Awards are run solely by volunteers who saw every eligible show at the Fringe (around 700 shows)
The Jones Bootmaker ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards announced the Winners for Best Show, Best Newcomer and Panel Prize for 2024.
Best Show - Elf Lyons: Horses
Best Newcomer - Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows
Panel Prize - Joint Winners are Alex Petty, Best in Class, Dion Owen, Elaine Robertson and Funny Women Glitter Project
Each prize is £5,000 and a year’s supply of shoes from sponsors Jones Bootmaker. The Panel Prize was split equally between the 5 Winners. 100% of the sponsorship from Jones Bootmaker went on the prizes. The Awards are run solely by volunteers who saw every eligible show at the Fringe (around 700 shows)
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Here are the Jones Bootmaker ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominees for Best Show and Best Newcomer for 2024, 13 shows for Best Show and 10 for Best Newcomer. All are still in the running for the £5,000 in prizes each for these two Awards plus there is a £5,000 Panel Prize. 100% of the sponsorship from Jones Bootmaker goes on the prizes to support artists, the shows are judged by around 30 volunteers who were at the Fringe anyway. There were around 700 eligible shows this year (full eligibility criteria and judging process via this website).
Here is, in alphabetical order, the...
JONES BOOTMAKER ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS NOMINEES 2024
BEST SHOW
JONES BOOTMAKER ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS NOMINEES 2024
BEST SHOW
- Alfie Brown: Open Hearted Human Enquiry - Just The Tonic 23:35
- Amy Gledhill: Make Me Look Fit on the Poster - Monkey Barrel 18:10
- Ashley Haden: Political and Correct - Free Festival (Counting House) 18:00
- Colin Hoult: Colin - Pleasance 20:20
- David Eagle: The Eagle is Candid - Just The Tonic 21:30
- Elf Lyons: Horses - Pleasance 21:20
- Gareth Mutch - Modern Man - The Stand 18:50
- Jordan Brookes: Fontanelle - Pleasance 20:30
- Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes - The Stand 18:30
- Mat Ewins: Some You Lose Some - Monkey Barrel 21:15
- Phil Ellis: Come On and Take The Rest of Me - Monkey Barrel 12:45
- Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia - Just the Tonic 18:30
- Seymour Mace - Seymour F*cking Mace You C*nts! - The Stand 12:10
BEST NEWCOMER
- Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows - Pleasance 19:15
- Caitriona Dowden is Holier Than Thou - PBH Free Fringe (Banshee Labyrinth) 12:50
- Hannah Platt: Defence Mechanism - Pleasance 20:10
- Henry Rowley: Just Literally - Pleasance 19:30
- Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE - Monkey Barrel 23:25
- Kemah Bob: Miss Fortunate - Pleasance 19:05
- Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy - Pleasance 21:40
- Mhairi Black: Politics Isn't For Me - Gilded Balloon 13:15
- Peter Bazeley: Ahh I Appear to Be Having a Breakdown - Free Festival (Three Sisters) 5pm
- Runi Talwar as 'Runi Talwar' in Runi Talwar: The Runi Talwar Story - Pleasance 20:40
PANEL PRIZE
Announcing the 5 Nominees for the Jones Bootmaker ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize this year. We are using these nominations to highlight the incredible support that these individuals and organisations give to artists and others at the Fringe.
Alex Petty In addition to honouring the 20 years of supporting artists at the Free Festival, creating a supportive environment where all artists whatever their financial status can feel that the Fringe is affordable and they can make a profit, Alex this year has introduced a neurodiversity hub at Bar 50 and for the second year helped the Imibala Trust bringing ‘Yes-Ya-Yebo’ to Edinburgh with support from Pear Tree Owners and manager Brian.
Best in Class was founded by comedian Sian Davies, who was fed up of class, money and social status being used as a barrier to performing. The project has enabled a number of working class comedians to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. The comedians work tirelessly in the run up to the festival to crowdfund the costs involved with taking a show to the fringe. Crucially, none of the acts pay to participate and they all receive payment for the work they do.
Dion Owen runs the Cyclopath Free Fringe Bike Program, which aims to provide artists attending the Fringe with a bike, completely free of charge, for the duration of the festival. Dion was here 10 days before the Fringe, volunteering his time to refurbish the bikes. He started the program in 2023 with 50 bikes and this has grown this year to 70. This year Dion has received some financial support from The Fringe Society and The Pear Tree which enabled the employment of an additional mechanic.
Elaine Robertson is one of the artists who in response to the rising costs of accommodation has been living in a tent out near the airport. The cost of the grass square area to put her tent on this year was £700. That was the price of a room here only a few years ago. Elaine is just one of the people doing this - she is a great comedian and also a Community worker helping people in the North East - so we are nominating an individual but by doing this highlighting the expense of accommodation and the burden that has put on so many this year.
Funny Women Glitter Project has been set up as a tribute to our friend, colleague and non-executive director of Funny Women, Jo Fletcher-Cross to offer support to women and non-binary artists bringing their first show to the Fringe, whether this is mentoring or help with expenses, Funny Women and the Glitter Project is there for you. Funny Women have spent 22 years supporting and developing new comedy talent at grassroots with ground-breaking awards, workshops, courses and open mic events. The priority has always been to build confidence in female performers, writers and creators to give them the opportunity to pursue comedy careers.
The winner and prize of £5000 courtesy of our amazing Sponsor Jones Bootmaker will be announced at the ceremony on Friday night.
Announcing the 5 Nominees for the Jones Bootmaker ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize this year. We are using these nominations to highlight the incredible support that these individuals and organisations give to artists and others at the Fringe.
Alex Petty In addition to honouring the 20 years of supporting artists at the Free Festival, creating a supportive environment where all artists whatever their financial status can feel that the Fringe is affordable and they can make a profit, Alex this year has introduced a neurodiversity hub at Bar 50 and for the second year helped the Imibala Trust bringing ‘Yes-Ya-Yebo’ to Edinburgh with support from Pear Tree Owners and manager Brian.
Best in Class was founded by comedian Sian Davies, who was fed up of class, money and social status being used as a barrier to performing. The project has enabled a number of working class comedians to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. The comedians work tirelessly in the run up to the festival to crowdfund the costs involved with taking a show to the fringe. Crucially, none of the acts pay to participate and they all receive payment for the work they do.
Dion Owen runs the Cyclopath Free Fringe Bike Program, which aims to provide artists attending the Fringe with a bike, completely free of charge, for the duration of the festival. Dion was here 10 days before the Fringe, volunteering his time to refurbish the bikes. He started the program in 2023 with 50 bikes and this has grown this year to 70. This year Dion has received some financial support from The Fringe Society and The Pear Tree which enabled the employment of an additional mechanic.
Elaine Robertson is one of the artists who in response to the rising costs of accommodation has been living in a tent out near the airport. The cost of the grass square area to put her tent on this year was £700. That was the price of a room here only a few years ago. Elaine is just one of the people doing this - she is a great comedian and also a Community worker helping people in the North East - so we are nominating an individual but by doing this highlighting the expense of accommodation and the burden that has put on so many this year.
Funny Women Glitter Project has been set up as a tribute to our friend, colleague and non-executive director of Funny Women, Jo Fletcher-Cross to offer support to women and non-binary artists bringing their first show to the Fringe, whether this is mentoring or help with expenses, Funny Women and the Glitter Project is there for you. Funny Women have spent 22 years supporting and developing new comedy talent at grassroots with ground-breaking awards, workshops, courses and open mic events. The priority has always been to build confidence in female performers, writers and creators to give them the opportunity to pursue comedy careers.
The winner and prize of £5000 courtesy of our amazing Sponsor Jones Bootmaker will be announced at the ceremony on Friday night.
Jones Bootmaker ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LISTS 2024
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JONES BOOTMAKER ISH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LIST 2024
BEST SHOW
JONES BOOTMAKER ISH EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LIST 2024
BEST NEWCOMER
ISH COMEDY AWARDS WINNERS 2023
The judges voted for their winnners for Best Show and Best Newcomer - and both votes were tied - so the 2023 winners are joint winners in each category... BEST SHOW Julia Masli - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Paul Foot - Dissolve BEST NEWCOMER Dan Tiernan - Going Under Fiona Ridgewell - No-Nonsense And the... PANEL PRIZE A Show for Gareth Richards - Mark Simmons and Danny Ward The winners each received a magnificent tiny trophy! Congratulations to the winners, to those short and long-listed and to everyone that had great shows at the EDINBURGH FRINGE 2023 - as we've said all along, you don't need us to tell you whether a comedy show is great, you just have to listen to the audience. Who will win in 2024? 
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ISH COMEDY AWARDS SHORT LIST 2023
BEST SHOW
BEST SHOW
- Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time - Assembly
- Ian Smith: Crushing - Monkey Barrel
- Janine Harouni: Man'oushe - Pleasance
- Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha - Monkey Barrel
- Luke Kempner in Gritty Police Drama: A One-Man Musical - Pleasance
- Marjolein Robertson: Marj - The Stand
- Paul Currie: Shtoom - Just The Tonic
- Paul Foot: Dissolve - Underbelly
- Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show - Monkey Barrel
- Seymour Mace Does Drawring - The Stand
- Sid Singh: Table for One - Free Festival Cabaret Voltaire
ISH COMEDY AWARDS SHORT LIST 2023
BEST NEWCOMER
BEST NEWCOMER
- Dan Tiernan: Going Under - Monkey Barrel
- Fiona Ridgewell: No-Nonsense - PBH Free Fringe Banshee Labyrinth
- Kelly McCaughan: Catholic Guilt - Underbelly
- Lachlan Werner: Voices of Evil - Pleasance
- Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon - Pleasance
The third prize is the PANEL PRIZE - there are no nominees etc for this one, the judges voted on anything else they wanted to give a prize to from all the amazing things happening on the Fringe.
ISH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LISTS 2023
After seeing the eligible shows, the judges for the ISH awards recommended any they thought were exceptional for the 'Long List' below.
Here is, in alphabetical order, the...
After seeing the eligible shows, the judges for the ISH awards recommended any they thought were exceptional for the 'Long List' below.
Here is, in alphabetical order, the...
ISH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LIST 2023
BEST SHOW
BEST SHOW
- Aaron Simmonds: Baby Steps - Pleasance
- Aidan Jones: Adult Adoption - Free Festival Counting House
- Andrew O'Neill: Geburah - Monkey Barrel
- Ania Magliano: I Can't Believe You've Done This - Pleasance
- Attack of the 36 Triple-G Woman - Space @ Symposium Hall
- Cheekykita: An Octopus, The Universe 'n' Stuff - Free Festival The Three Sisters
- Daniel Kitson: First Thing - Summerhall
- David McIver: Small Boy Trapped in a Wellness Retreat - PBH Free Fringe Banshee Labyrinth
- Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time - Assembly
- Eric Rushton: Not That Deep - Free Festival Cabaret Voltaire
- Frank Skinner: 30 Years of Dirt - Assembly
- Gareth Mutch: Belter - The Stand
- Huge Davies: Whodunnit - Pleasance
- Ian Smith: Crushing - Monkey Barrel
- Janine Harouni: Man'oushe - Pleasance
- Jody Kamali: Things We Do for Love - Assembly
- Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha - Monkey Barrel
- Laser Kiwi: Rise of the Olive - Assembly
- Laura Davis: Well Don't Just Stand There Dancing - Monkey Barrel
- Luke Kempner in Gritty Police Drama: A One-Man Musical - Pleasance
- Mark Nelson: Bits & Pieces - Monkey Barrel
- Marjolein Robertson: Marj - The Stand
- Max and Ivan: Life, Choices - Pleasance
- MC Hammersmith: Straight Outta Brompton - Monkey Barrel
- Milo Edwards: Sentimental - Monkey Barrel
- Paul Currie: Shtoom - Just The Tonic
- Paul Foot: Dissolve - Underbelly
- Paul Sinha: Pauly Bengali - The Stand's New Town Theatre
- Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show - Monkey Barrel
- Phil Kay: Funny Walks - Just The Tonic
- Pierre Novellie - Why Are You Laughing? - Monkey Barrel
- Police Cops: The Musical - Assembly
- Seymour Mace Does Drawring - The Stand
- Sid Singh: Table for One - Free Festival Cabaret Voltaire
- Stuart Goldsmith: Spoilers - Monkey Barrel
ISH COMEDY AWARDS LONG LIST 2023
BEST NEWCOMER
BEST NEWCOMER
- Adrian Bliss: Inside Everyone - Pleasance
- Alexandra Haddow: Not My Finest Hour - Pleasance
- Alice Cockayne: I Showered Before I Came - Underbelly
- Andre de Freitas: What If - Pleasance
- Annabel Marlow: Is This OK? - Pleasance
- Dan Tiernan: Going Under - Monkey Barrel
- Fiona Ridgewell: No-Nonsense - PBH Free Fringe Banshee Labyrinth
- Hannah Camilleri: Lolly Bag - Assembly
- John Tothill: The Last Living Libertine - Pleasance
- Kathy Maniura: Objectified - Gilded Balloon
- Kelly McCaughan: Catholic Guilt - Underbelly
- Krystal Evans: The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp - Monkey Barrel
- Lachlan Werner: Voices of Evil - Pleasance
- Leila Navabi: Composition - Pleasance
- Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon - Pleasance
- Louise Young: Feral - Pleasance
- Moses Storm: Perfect Cult - Pleasance
- Paddy Young: Hungry, Horny, Scared - Pleasance
- Stu Murphy - Debut - Monkey Barrel
- Tadiwa Mahlunge: Inhibition Exhibition - Pleasance
