All the winners and finalists

Since it began in 1988, So You Think You're Funny? has kick-started the careers of dozens of the country’s top comics including Dylan Moran, Peter Kay and Tommy Tiernan. 

The competition was created by Karen Koren, founder of the Gilded Balloon Fringe venue in Edinburgh, who set up the competition simply to find fresh talent to feed the booming demand for stand-up. In the first year, the prize was £250 and the possibility of a TV commission. Indeed, the very first winner, Bruce Morton, landed a series on the Seven Deadly Sins.

The competition is open to new acts, who have been performing for less than 18 months and who have yet to have been paid for a comedy gig.

Several heats are held around the country in late spring. Each night is not a direct competition, with judges instead selecting the best acts they have seen over the entire run to take part in one of seven heats at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Winners of each of these go forward to a final at the Gilded Balloon at the festival.

Previous winners and finalists

1988: Bruce Morton

1989: Phil Kay

1990: Trio Brothers (Rab Christie and Greg Herchill)

1991: Alan Francis

1992: Rhona Cameron

1993: Dylan Moran
Finalists: Steve Furst (runner-up), Michael Smiley

1994: Martin Trenaman

1995: Lee Mack

1996: Tommy Tiernan
Finalists: Valentine Flyguy, John Henderson, David Keay, Patrick McDonnell, Lucy Porter

1997: Peter Kay
Finalists: Nick Doody, Paul Foot, Jonathan Gunning, Stephen Morrison, TJ Murphy, Rod Woodward

1998: Rob Rouse
Finalists: Moz, Caroline Quinlan, Stuart Stanley, Dan Antoploski,Alex Zane, Reginald D Hunter, Nadine Lennard, Kevin Hill

1999: David O'Doherty
Finalists: Juliet Cowan, Russell Howard, Josie Long, Richard Morris, Andy Zaltzman

2000: Drew Rokos
Finalists: Des Clarke (runner-up), Mark Dolan, Mat and McKinnon, Francesca Martinez, Jason Manford, Les Hommes Sans Noms

2001: Miles Jupp
Finalists: Stefano Paolini (2nd), Alan Carr (joint 3rd), Michael Downey (joint 3rd), Seymour Mace, Hils Barker, Inder Manocha, John Bishop, and The Reverend Obadiah Steppenwolfe III

2002: Mathew Osborn
Finalists: Mark Watson (2nd), Nina Conti (3rd), Michael Anderson, Andy Bone, Greg Davies, Rhod Gilbert, Rufus Hound, Greg McHugh.

2003: Tom Wrigglesworth
Finalists: Andrew Lawrence (2nd), Stuart Hudson (3rd), Anna Crilly, Michael Fabbri, Anne Keirle, Matt Kirshen, Rodney Marques, Ed Petrie.

2004: Nick Sun
Finalists: Russell Kane (2nd), Chris McCausland (3rd), Rob Collins,Jarleth Regan, Zoe Lyons, Susan Taylor, Rose Heiney, Lee Bannard

2005: Tom Allen
Finalists: Sarah Millican (2nd), Joe Wilkinson (3rd), Charlie Baker, Kevin Bridges, Robert Broderick, Emma Fryer, Stuart Goldsmith, Josh Thomas.

2006: Wes Paker
Finalists: Hannah Gadsby (2nd), Ginger & Black (3rd), Andrew Watts, Alan Bennett, Caroline Clifford, Raph Shirley, Holly Walsh, Marlon Davis

2007: Richard Sandling
Finalists: Ben Davis (2nd), Joanne Lau (3rd), Toby Whithouse, Carl Hutchinson, Daniel Rigby, Gar Murran, Jack Whitehall, James Marsh

2008: Daniel Simonsen
Finalists: Seann Walsh (2nd), Sara Pascoe, Ahir Shah, John Gavin, Josh Widdicombe, Gearoid Farrelly, Richard Perry, Daniel Sloss, Doc Brown

2009: Ivo Graham
Finalists: Kevin Shevlin (2nd), Naz Osmanoglu (3rd), Richard Bowen,Winston Smith, Robin Bucklow, Mark Simmons, Jim Campbell, Kai Humphries

2010: James Kirk
Finalists: Liam Williams (2nd), Rob Beckett (3rd), Alex Clissold-Jones, Romesh Ranganathan, Chris Turner, Matt Richardson, Laura Carr, Pete Dobbing

2011: Tommy Rowson
Finalists: Dayne Rathbone (second), Fern Brady (joint 3rd), Lucy Beaumont (joint 3rd), Andy Clark, Stuart Hossack, Nicola Mantalios-Lovett, Darren Connell, Alex Kealey

2012: Aisling Bea
Finalists: Jonny Pelham (second), Wayne Mazadza (joint 3rd), Murdon Haggs (joint 3rd), Amir Khoshsokhan, Conor Neville, Glenn Moore, Ingrid Dahle, Nick Dixon

2013: Edd Hedges and Demi Lardner (joint winners)
Finalists: Laura McLenaghan (runner-up), Nicky Wilkinson, Tom Taylor, Alasdair Beckett-King, Russ Peers, Jenny Collier, Andrew McBurney

2014: Aidan Strangeman
Finalists: Elliot Steel (runner-up), Joe Hart (3rd), Mark Daniels, Jim Smith, Benji Waterstones, Christopher MacArthur Boyd, Eshaan Akbar, Gary Meikle

2015: Luca Cupani
Finalists: Yuriko Kotani (runner-up), Ed Day (3rd) Ben Pope, Yumna Mohamed, Neil O'Rourke, Matilda Wnek, Red Richardson, Stephen Lawson, AJ Roberts

2016: Heidi Regan 
Finalists: Ruth Hunter (runner-up), Danielle Walker (third), Harriet Braine, Kelly Convey, Sophie Henderson, Jamie M, Stuart McPherson, Arielle Souma

2017: Maisie Adam 
Finalists:  Sarah Mann (runner-up), Morgan Rees (third), Amira Saied, Archie Henderson, Eric Rushton, Esther Manito, Jamie D’Souza, Kirsten Brown and Robin Allender.

2018: Danny Garnell 
Finalists: Liam Farrelly (runner-up), Bec Melrose  (joint third), Joe Hobbs  (joint third),  Chelsea Birkby, Natalie Loh, Martin Durchov, Patrick Healy and Shane Clifford

2019: Finaly Christie 
Finalists: Shane Daniel Byrne, (second), Charlie George (third), Claire Haus, Denis Len, Erika Ehler, Fady Kassab, Kate Bancroft, Kate McGann

2020: No competition because of the Covid-19 pandemic

2021: Omar Badawy
Finalists: Rae Brogan (second), Andy Watts (third), Farhan Solo, Lottie Field, Kathleen Hughes, Nate Kitch, Caroline Maddison, Kathy Maniura and Phil Marzouk

2022: Joshua Bethania
Finalists:  Ben Pollard, Daniel Petrie, Jack Skipper, Justina Seselskaite, Mark Black, Prakash Jirjadhun, Pravanya Pillay and Rohan Sharma

Published: 29 Aug 2013