Edinburgh Fringe 2026 Top Jokes: Here are the 5 jokes shortlisted for the inaugural Cheez-It Cheeziest Joke Award - and the winner

We’re now nearly half way through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 and the shortlists for the various awards are starting to be revealed.

The big one is the Edinburgh Comedy Award, which has launched the careers of many now-familiar faces, with the shortlist announced next Wednesday, August 26.

But the first to show its hand this week was the inaugural Cheez-It Cheeziest Joke Award, filling the gap left by Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe competition, which was “rested” two years ago.

Read more: Scotsman Fringe First awards: our first winners of 2026 revealed

After picking through over 130 entries, thie judges picked a shortlist of five which was then put to a public vote, resulting in Fil Milton being crowns the gagsmith and bagging a trophy and a £1,000 cash prize.

Milton, from Preston, said: “It’s a massive treat. As a relatively new comedian doing my first show at the Fringe, having this award really helps get the word out about me and my show. It’s really important to highlight individual jokes too – sometimes a little one-liner can get overlooked or dismissed as a dad joke, but they take a lot of effort. I’m really pleased Cheez-It have done it.”

Rui Frias, UK Senior Marketing Manager at Cheez-It, added: “We’ve always celebrated not taking life too seriously and the inner cheesiness in everyone, so creating an award dedicated to the cheesiest jokes at the Fringe felt like the perfect fit.

"The standard of entries has been fantastic, and we're proud that our partnership with the Fringe has given brilliant comedians another opportunity to have their work recognised. Congratulations to Fil Milton and thank you to everyone who embraced the cheese."

Here are all five shortlisted jokes.

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