The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards have announced their longlists of 60 Fringe acts in the running for this year’s awards: 39 for best show, 21 for best newcomer.

They are:

Best show

Adam Flood: Death of the Party – Monkey Barrel 22:00
Adam Greene: The Wizard of Ozempic – Just The Tonic @ The Hive 19:10
Amanda Dwyer: Better Than Revenge – The Stand 18:00
Andrew White: What a Life! - Monkey Barrel 17:45
Amy Matthews: Definitions of Toast - Monkey Barrel 15:00
Brennan Reece: Live – PBH @ Liquid Rooms 16:30
Chris Cantrill: Rewilding - Monkey Barrel 12:10
Chris Forbes: Father Christmas - Monkey Barrel 13:30
Chris Turner: In The Moment - Underbelly 17:20
Crybabies: The Scaring - Pleasance 20:00
Dan Tiernan Quartz and All – Monkey Barrel 22:25
Dru Cripps: Juicy Bits - Hoots @ Potterow 22:10
Elf Lyons is The Woman on the Edge – Pleasance 21:30
Eric Rushton: Could Well Be In – Monkey Barrel 14:55
Eryn Tett: Tasting Menu – Free Festival @ Bar 50 20:00
Gareth Mutch Means Well - The Stand 16:20
Harriet Dyer: Easily Distra… - Monkey Barrel 20:35
Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck in the Middle (East) With You – Pleasance 17:30
Jack Docherty: Butterfly – Gilded Balloon 19:30
Jason Byrne: 30 Years Byrning – Assembly Hall 19:10
John Kearns: Tilting at Windmills – Monkey Barrel 16:15 
Jordan Brookes: The Part of You That’s Always Screaming - Pleasance 21:45
Joseph Murpurgo: Highlander 70 – Pleasance 19:00
Kate Dolan: Trout – Monkey Barrel Comedy 20:35
Lara Ricote: INKLING – Monkey Barrel 17:40
Larry Dean: Hellbent - Pleasance 18:30
Max Fulham: Memory Foam – Pleasance 19:00
Mothman: A Romance Musical - Underbelly 18:50
Olaf Falafel Presents: I Used to Work in a Helium Balloon Factory Until they Let Me Go – Free Festival @ The Pear Tree 14:30
Omar Badawy: Guided Detour – Pleasance 16:35
Paul Currie: REMOVE YOUR SKIN PLEASE - Free Festival @ Counting House  20:30
Paul Foot: The Future – Underbelly 19:20
Phil Nichol: Aren’t We Lucky – Gilded Balloon Teviot 17:20
Reuben Kaye: Hard to Swallow – Assembly George Square Gardens 20:00
Robin Grainger: Lemonade – Assembly George Square 20:20
Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick: Soul Sewage — Monkey Barrel 23:25
Sofie Hagen: I Think Some of This Is My Fault – Monkey Barrel 15.20
The Last Funny Woman (Kate Cheka) – PBH Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms 17:55
Tom Short: I Get ChatGPT To Write My Edinburgh Show – Hoots @ Nicolson Square 22:15

Best newcomer

Anna Leong Brophy: Born Sexy Yesterday - Pleasance 17:40
Auditory Awakenings with Mr Tingles in the House of ASMR - PBH's Free Fringe @ Bannermans 12:15
Dane Buckley: Darling – Pleasance 18:00
Dom McGovern: Prize Hog – Pleasance 20:30
Enrico Touché: Hot Knees – Hoots @ Potterrow 16:30
Freddie Meredith: Need a Light? - Pleasance 17:50
Good Boy (Sorabh Dhir) – Hoots @ Hilton  14:00
Hannah Byczkowski: Killer – Gilded Balloon Teviot 17:10
Jack Ansett: Looks Like A Bit Of Me! – Assembly George Square Studios 16:00
Jack Brookmyre: Impressionable – The Stand 18:55
Jeromaia Detto: Giuseppe's Love Quest— Underbelly 18:45
Jonathan Oldfield: Exquisite Corpse – Pleasance 21:40
Justina Sesekskaite: Settled – Hoots @ Hilton 19:50
Madeleine Brettingham: Legend – Gilded Balloon 20:20
Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear – Pleasance 19:15
Matt Klein: Boyoyoyoyoing - PBH Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth 00:35 
Matthew Gallagher: Last Minute – The Stand 20:50
Monks – Greenside @ George Street 19:35
Scout Boxall: God’s Favourite – Assembly George Square 16:20
Tarang Hardikar: If I'm Not Wrong – Pleasance 18:00
Those People – Pleasance 23:00

Best Show carries a £5,000 prize, thanks to sponsorship from Romesh Ranganathan; best newcomer is £4,000, courtesy of Sarah Millican.

Shortlists will be announced on Wednesday, along with nominees for the Elf Lyons-backed Charlie Award for Tech and the Takeover Radio 106.9FM Joke of the Fringe. There is also a  James Corden/Rhod Gilbert Panel Prize for people doing something exceptional for creatives at the Fringe. Winners in all categories are announced next Friday.

The main Edinburgh Comedy Awards also announce their nominees on Wednesday.

Published: 21 Aug 2026