Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2026 Prize Money: Here's when the shortlists and winners are announced, judges, eligibility - and how much the winners get
As we near the middle of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, thoughts are turnin to awards.
Known previously as the Perrier Comedy Awards, the if.comedy awards, and the if.comeddies, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, are the biggest prize in British comedy.
The first winners back in 1981 were a talent-packed Cambridge Footlights featuring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson.
Other names catapaulted to fame by the award over the years include Steve Coogan, Jenny Eclair, The League of Gentlemen, Dylan Moran, Al Murray, Tim Key, and Emmy-winning Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd.
Last year Sam Nicoresti became the first trans comedian to win the Main Prize for her show Baby Doomer, while Ayoade Bamgboye took home the prize for Best Newcomer and was later snapped up to star in Saturday Night Live UK.
Meanwhile, the Panel Prize went to Fringe stalwarts Comedy Club 4 Kids.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year.
How many prizes are there?
There are two main awards presented each year – the main Audible Best Comedy Show prize and the Taffner Family Best Newcomer Award (added in 1992) for performers who are making their Edinburgh debut.
A third award, the Audible Panel Prize (added in 2006), is presented to people or organisations who have made a major contribution to comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It is not necessarily awarded every year.
Who is eligible for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards?
There are a number of rules regarding who can be considered for the Main Prize, which is not open to those who are already considered to be ‘star names’.
This means that any act who has starred in a television programme on a major channel, or who can fill a 500-seat venue on their own name, will not be considered.
Comedians who appear on panel shows or who have been guests on a show are still eligible, while social media followings do not (yet) disqualify an act.
To be eligible for the Best Newcomer Award the act must be performing their first full-length show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – first-time solo acts who were previously part of a sketch show are considered newcomers.
To be eligible for either award the show must be listed in the ‘comedy’ section of the Fringe programme and be at least 50 minutes in length.
The show must be unique and original and fit into the category of either standup, character comedy, sketch/revue or comedy musical.
The show must have opened by Thursday, August 20, and have at least eight public performances between Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 28, including on August 26, 27 and 28. If the show opened prior to August 20, then only five performances need to be performed between August 20-28 and at least two of these must be after the shortlist is announced.
Previous winners are not eligible, although a Best Newcomer will be eligible for the main prize in subsequent years, with John Kearns the only performer to have completed the double.
What do the winners get?
The winner of the Best Comedy Show receives a trophy and £10,000.
Both the Best Newcomer and the Panel Prize winner receive a trophy and £5,000.
Who judges the prize?
The panel for the 2026 prize is as follows:
- Liz Lewin - Director of Comedy Series, Netflix UK
- Sasha Bobak - Comedy and Entertainment Producer, BBC Studios
- Sam Bryant - Director of Original Content and Head of Comedy, Audible
- Amar Chauhan - Public Panellist
- Tristram Fane Saunders - Comedy Critic, The Telegraph
- Isabelle Jackson - Public Panellist
- Dominic Maxwell - Comedy and Theatre Critic and Feature Writer, The Times and The Sunday Times
- Louise Robb - Public Panellist
- Anya Ryan - Theatre and Comedy Critic, The Guardian, The Times, Time Out and The Stage
- Darren Smith - Creative Director, DLT Entertainment
When are the shortlists announced?
The shortlist will be announced on Wednesday, August 26.
When are the winners announced?
The 42nd Edinburgh Comedy Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 29.
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