Launched in 1981, the Edinburgh Comedy Award is presented to the comedy show judged to have been the best at the city’s Festival Fringe and is widely recognised as the most prestigious comedy prize in the UK.
Most famously known as the Perrier Award, over the years it’s also been known as the if.comedy awards and the if.comeddies, and this year it’s celebrating its 45th birthday.
Originally it was just a single prize for the best show, but a Best Newcomer category was added in 1992, followed by a Panel Prize (now the Victoria Wood Award) four years later - for acts who have made a special contribution to the Fringe Festival.
Last year the main prize was won by Amy Gledhill, while Joe Kent-Walters took home the prize for Best Newcomer for his monstrous comic creation Frankie Monroe.
Meanwhile, the Panel Prize went to A Show for Rob Copeland - whose free show at the Banshee Labyrinth saw some of the biggest queues of the Fringe.
And this year’s comedy champions will be crowned on Saturday, August 23.
They will join a list of winners that includes some of the most biggest names in comedy.
Here are the 14 most famous winners in the award’s history.
9. Richard Gadd
Scottish performer Richard Gadd won the award in 2016 for his show 'Monkey See Monkey Do'. It would be one of two shows that would go on to become 'Baby Reindeer', the television series that made Gadd a global star. | Getty Images
10. Hannah Gadsby
Aussie comedian Hannah Gadsby shared the award with John Robins in 2017. Their show 'Nanette' went on to become one of the most watched - and talked about - Netflix specials in history, winning them Primetime Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. They continue to tour globally. | Getty Images for AFI
11. The Mighty Boosh
Comedy trio 'The Mighty Boosh', featuring Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and Rich Fulcher, won the Best Newcomer Award in 1998. They went on to star in a cult television series of the same name and since then have been involved in everything from 'Nathan Barley' to 'The Great British Bake Off'. | Getty Images
12. Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin was a hige hit at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005 with his show 'Dark Side'. He's gone on to be one of the biggest comedy stars in the world, also writing hit stage shows 'Matilda the Musical' and 'Groundhog Day'. | Getty Images for SXSW Sydney