Edinburgh Comedy Awards announces its 2025 shortlists

The best of the Edinburgh Fringe

The shortlists have been announced for the 2025 Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

For Best Comedy Show, as sponsored by the Taffner Family, they are

Dan Tiernan: All In
Ed Night: Your Old Mucker
Ian Smith: Foot Spa Half Empty
John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven
Katie Norris: Go West, Old Maid
Sam Jay: We The People
Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
Creepy Boys: SLUGS

And for the DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer Award

Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love
Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts
Elouise Eftos: Australia’s First Attractive Comedian
Kate Owens: Cooking With Kathryn
Molly McGuinness: Slob
Roger O’Sullivan: Fekken
Toussaint Douglass: Accessible Pigeon Material

Nica Burns, director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, said: ‘2025 is another outstanding year of great comedy. Many of those shortlisted will be the stars of tomorrow.

‘It is going to be a very exciting race to find the eventual winners with two brilliant lists of nominees for The Taffner Family Best Comedy Show and the DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer, which this year is female-led. The performers nominated cover a huge amount of topics, with acts from three continents giving diverse perspectives."

Sam Bryant, chair of the judging panel, said: ‘The landscape of comedy is expanding, with audio now playing a huge part in how comedians build their profiles and connect with audiences. It’s a thrilling moment where the live Fringe stage sits alongside podcasts and digital platforms as stepping stones in a comedian’s career.

‘The Edinburgh Comedy Awards have always been a launchpad for the next generation of talent, and that role feels more important than ever. Our panel and scouts dedicated themselves to the process, seeing more than 1,200 hours of comedy across the festival, to ensure that this year’s shortlists reflect the breadth of voices, styles and opportunities shaping the future of the art form.’

The winners, including the recipient of the Victoria Wood Award previously known as the panel prize, will be announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh on Saturday lunchtime.

The Judging Panel

Sam Bryant: Director of Original Content and Comedy Commissioner, Audible (Chair)
Josh Buckingham: Executive Producer, Hat Trick Productions
Ashley Davies: Freelance Arts Journalist, Metro, Times Scotland, Scotsman
Shukri Dirie: Development Producer, Scripted, BBC TalentWorks
Tristram Fane Saunders: Freelance Journalist and Comedy Critic, The Telegraph and Editor of The Little Review
Rachael Healy: Arts journalist and critic at The Observer and The Guardian
James Robinson: Executive Producer, BBC Studios Audio
Janet Jackson: Public panellist
Krishna Kapur: Public panellist
Justine Teasdale: Public panellist