With a over 3,300 shows to choose from across 265 venues at this year's feast of culture, there’s something to be said for opting for performers who have a winning record – and there’s no bigger prize in British comedy than the Edinburgh Comedy Award.
Launched in 1981, the award is presented to the comedy show judged to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is recognised as the most prestigious comedy prize in the UK.
Formerly known as the Perrier Award, it is designed to promote acts that have yet to become household names, so comedians judged to have ‘star status’ are not eligible - for instance if they have a show on a major television channel or can regularly fill a 500-set venue.
The first winners were a talent-packed Cambridge Footlights featuring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson, while other names catapulted 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.
A Best Newcomer Award was added in 1992, followed by a Panel Prize in 2006 - for those who have made a particularly special contribution to the Fringe Festival.
Here are all 17 winners you can see in Edinburgh this year.
9. Mark Watson
Nobody combines comedy and anxiety quite as well at Mark Watson. He became a Fringe legend thanks to his record-breaking marathon shows, winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award's first Panel Prize in 2006 for his extraordinary 36 hour-long effort. He's performing a more relaxed one hour show called 'Before It Overtakes Us' at the Pleasance Courtyard this year from July 30-August 24. Topics up for discussion include a recent encounter with a stranger, the worst word he has ever said in public, and the current state of the UK sausage industry. | Contributed
10. John Kearns
Comedy genius John Kearns is the only person to have won both the Best Newcomer Award and the Main Prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards - in 2013 and 2014. He'll presumably be back in his trademark false teeth and wig for his work in progress at the Monkey Barrel from August 8-13. | Contributed
11. Bridget Christie
Bridget Christie took home the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2013 for 'A Bic for Her'. In 2023 she wrote and starred in Channel 4 show 'The Change', about a woman who finds a new lease of life when she goes through the menopause. A regular on television and radio, she's back in Edinburgh for the first time in a few years with a work in progress at the Monkey Barrel from August 2-9. | Contributed
12. Jenny Eclair
Jenny Eclair became the first woman to win the Perrier in 1995 for her show 'Prozac & Tantrums'. This year, for two shows only to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gilded Balloon, she'll be talking about her career. See her at the Gilded Balloon from August 8-9. | Getty Images