Phil Ellis and Mark Forward share top ISH comedy award

Amelia Hamilton and Ayo Adenekan joint best newcomers

The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards have announced a total of 19 winners will share its five awards this year.

Phil Ellis and Canadian comedian Mark Forward shared the best show award, with Amelia Hamilton and Ayo Adenekan sharing best newcomer.

Jo Caulfield won the Joke Of The Fringe competition for her line: 'Last time I got really drunk I woke up in this filthy bedroom, vomit all down me, some fat, naked bloke snoring next to me. I was like - oh right, at least I got home OK.’

Every nominee for the panel prize shared that award – comics Benny Shakes and Che Burnley, the team of One4Review critics, Edinburgh Fringe With Spice mastermind Lula Berhane and flyerers Louis Mangay, Josh Ferguson, David Cunningham, Kaitlyn Smith and Sarah Docwra.

And the £1,000 award for best tech was split four ways between Jake Woods, Eddie Fenton-Jones, Alice Greening and Josie Shipp.

Last night's announcement came hours before the original Edinburgh Comedy Awards unveiled their winners, as soon after The List magazine revealed its 2025 award-winners included Bebe Cave's Christbride as best comedy show and Phil Ellis's Funz & Gamez Rebootz as best children's show.

ISH's best show and best newcomer winners got £2,000 each; Caulfield £500.01 for her joke; and each of the panel prize winners getting £500. The five flyerers were considered one joint nominee so get £100 each.

James Corden provided the lions’ share of the prize money, backing the accolades to the tune of £10,000. Other funding came from producers Nathan Cassidy and Sarah Bowles who sponsored best show, comics Rhod Gilbert (best newcomer), Elf Lyons (tech) and Patrick Monahan (newcomer), Takeover Radio 106.9FM backed the joke award.

Also nominated for best show were Amy Webber, Danny Ward, Eric Rushton, Gareth Mutch, Garry Starr, John Tothill, Jordan Brookes, Jordan Gray, Laura Lexx, Olaf Falafel, Pear, Roger O’Sullivan and Sikisa.

And the other best newcomer nominees were Alex Stringer, Ayoade Bamgboye, Jessica Barton, Ed Mulvey, Kit Loyd, Love Hunt, Molly McGuinness. Thor Stenhaug.

The awards were set up in 2022 when it looked as if the original Edinburgh Comedy Awards – which started life as the Perriers – might not take place. In the end, they did go ahead, but ISH, which stands for Insert Sponsor Here, decided to continue anyway.

PANEL PRIZE WINNERS

Benny Shakes at Disabled Cants. Benny took this show over from Steve Day in 2023 to give more disabled people a platform to practice their craft. It has a showcase at Bar 50 in Edinburgh. Shakes says 'it's not about me it's about helping the next generation of comedians.'
Che Burnley of the Alternative Black Comedy Showcase, which has been running for seven years in Edinburgh. It also We also runs workshops to try to get black kids into areas where they are not usually represented, not just on stage but behind the scenes. He said: ‘Off the back of that is a plan to deliver mental health comedy workshops with a similar aim but for the older black generations who may have been missed out. It's basically about, entertainment, opportunities and care for groups often left out of the discussion or with different needs.'
Five flyerers. The awards will shortlist five flyerers for ‘working so hard at something that is crucial to support artists and spread the word about their shows’. Named so far are Louis Mangay and Josh Ferguson.C
Lula.xyz who created Edinburgh Fringe with Spice, a new initiative to champion Global Majority and non-white performers at the Fringe this year . The project, includes a dedicated brochure, an online hub at lula.xyz, and free ticket giveaways to reach audiences who might otherwise miss these performances.
One4Review review team. For an ‘exponential increase’ in the reviewing of free shows this year, following an initiative ISH founder Nathan Cassidy launched before the Fringe. The citation singled out Steve Hutchison who has reviewed nearly 100 shows, over a third of which were from the free side of the festival.