Adam Ernest Pickard runner-up

Eva Peroni has been crowned winner of the 2026 Chortle Student Comedy Award – the first Scottish act to take the tile in its 22-year history.

Already a regular on the Scottish comedy circuit, Peroni is also making her debut at the year’s Fringe with Jungled, about how she moved from Livingston to Costa Rica on her own at the age of 17.

Now 22, she is studying law at the University of Edinburgh and receives £1,000 for winning the Chortle competition.

Runner-up was Adam Ernest Pickard, also 22, who is studying a master’s in screenwriting at the University of East Anglia.

Also competing in the final – hosted by Mark Watson at the Pleasance at the Edinburgh Fringe last night – were Kathy Rivett,  Will Finney, Francesca Best, James Perham and Isaac Tompkinson.

Previous winners of the title include Joe Lycett,Phil Wang, Joe Kent-Walters and Jamali Maddix.

Published: 19 Aug 2026