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.
The award 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.
A Best Newcomer Award was added in 1992, followerd by a Panel Prize in 2006 for those who have made a particularly special contribution to the Fringe Festival.
Here are the last 13 performers to have won the trophy - and what they've been up to since.
9. Richard Gadd
Scottish writer and performer Richard Gadd's dark show about becoming the victim of a sexual assault earned the trophy in 2016. Called 'Monkey See Monkey Do', it triumphed over the likes of James Acaster and Nish Kumar. His one-man show 'Baby Reindeer' also premiered in Edinburgh and has since been made into a hugely successful Emmy Award-winning Netflix series. | Contributed
10. Sam Simmons
In 2015 Australia's Sam Simmons took the comedy title for his absurdist show 'Spaghetti for Breakfast'. He's continued to tour ever since, as well as appearing on numerous television panel shows and developing his own BBC sitcom. | Contributed
11. John Kearns
John Kearns became the first performer in the history of the ward to win both Best Newcomer and the Main Prize - in consecutive years - with his show 'Shtick' in 2014. He attracted a new army of fans when he appeared in television programme Taskmaster. | Contributed
12. Bridget Christie
Shining a light on preposterous misogyny in 'A Bic For Her'. Bridget Christie lifted the coveted trophy in 2013. She now tours to huge audiences, is an award-winning columnist and author, and recently saw her first television series Her first television series, 'The Change', broadcast on Channel 4 to great acclaim. | Contributed