The full list of award-winners from the 2026 Scotsman Fringe Firsts have now been named as the Edinburgh Festival draws to a close.
One of the most sought-after prizes at the Edinburgh Fringe, the awards are the longest running at the festival having been established in 1973.
Sponsored this year by Queen Margaret University, our expert panel of judges recognise the best of new writing premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, with the final batch of winners named on Friday, August 28.
Past Fringe First winners include Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, and Billy Connolly, as well as the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the original stage version of Fleabag, and Richard Gadd for Baby Reindeer.
This year, an adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s acclaimed book Mayflies and a reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet have taken home prizes - as well as productions which are part audio drama and part installation, such as One Hundred Voices.
With the festival almost over, here is every Scotsman Fringe First award winner from 2026.
17. Turn Your F*cking Phones Off
A one-woman show which tackles difficult topics, Turn Your F*cking Phones Off is a Fringe First winner which our critic David Pollock praised for its tight handling of its subject matter: “Hannah Maxwell’s one-woman show is about as far-reaching an investigation as can fit into a Fringe hour about how digital society has been weaponised against us. It’s also very funny, fast and audience-interactive in the most enjoyable and least threatening way possible. While Maxwell’s right that tech is a problem humanity needs to solve before it can solve any other, this is a show which gets that point across with no small amount of hope, laughter and human connection. It’s the perfect way to cut through the endless scroll.” | Contributed