Demetri Martin has won the top award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

The New Yorker won the 2006 Barry Award,  named after Dame Edna creator Barry Humphries, for his show Dr Earnest Parrot Presents…

Other nominees had been Daniel Kitson, Mark Watson, Tim Minchin, Sam Simmons and Charlie Pickering.

The Barry best newcomer award went to Sammy J, whose show was about touring Australia

The Piece Of Wood Award – an actual lump of Timber passed down to the comics’ comic – was shared between Damian Callinan for his show about impotence, Spaznuts, and Alice Springs comic Fiona O’Loughlin.

The Golden Gribbo award, named in honour of late stand-up Lynda Gibson and given to the local, independent show that puts artistic merit above commercial concerns went to character act Cliffy, a slobby working-class bogan creation.

The Age newspaper’s critics’ award went to Judith Lucy for her show I Failed! about her sacking from a commercial radio station.

And the director’s award, decided by festival chief Susan Provan, was shared between former So You Think You’re Funny winner Nick Sun and Men Of Steel, a puppet show employing kitchen implements.