Who's up for best show and best newcomer?

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards have announced their 2026 nominees.

The nominees for the Audible Best Comedy Show are:

 Chris Cantrill: Rewilding
Dan Tiernan: Quartz and All
Harriet Dyer: Easily Distra...
Lara Ricote: Inkilng
Li Jin Hao: Falling From A Moon
Spencer Jones: Dogs

The nominees for the Taffner Family Best Newcomer Award are:

Dom McGovern: Prize Hog
Fatiha El-Ghorri: Cockney Stacking Doll
Freddie Meredith: Need a Light?
Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear
Omar Badawy: Guided Detour
Tom Towelling Teaches You to Knit
Underground Monk Show

This is the fourth nomination for Cantrill and the third for Dan Tiernan and Spencer Jones.

In a statement, awards director Nica Burns and executive director Emma Brünjes said: ‘Our 2026 nominees have all created brilliantly funny, well-written and performed shows. 

‘The Edinburgh Fringe is a place for experimentation and discovery and the nominees of best comedy show and best newcomer are all outstanding examples. As the comedy industry strives for recognition for comedy as an art form, the comedians at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe collectively make a powerful case.’

Liz Lewin, director of comedy series and Netflix UK and chair of the awards panel, said: ‘What struck all of us on the panel this year is the range this shortlist covers – different backgrounds, styles, routes into a joke – yet every one of them made a room fall about laughing in a way only they could. 

‘Ten of us argued, laughed, and agreed… eventually! These are the people shaping the comedy landscape and we can't wait for audiences beyond Edinburgh to enjoy them as much as we did.’

The winners of the 2026 Edinburgh Comedy Awards – also including the recipient of the Audible Panel Prize – will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Richard Gadd and 2025 best newcomer Ayoade Bamgboye on Saturday.. The winner of the Best Comedy Show receives  £10,000, with the Best Newcomer and Panel Prize winner receiving £5,000.

Nominees will be taking part in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11pm on Saturday.

Earlier today, nominees were also announced for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards and the Malcolm ​Hardee awards.

The panel for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards comprises:

Liz Lewin, director of comedy series, Netflix UK
Sasha Bobak, comedy and entertainment producer, BBC Studios
Sam Bryant , director of original content and head of comedy, Audible
Amar Chauhan, public panellist
Tristram Fane Saunders, comedy critic, The Telegraph
Isabelle Jackson, public panellist
Dominic Maxwell , comedy and theatre critic and feature writer, The Times and The Sunday Times
Louise Robb, public panellist
Anya Ryan, theatre and comedy critic, The Guardian, The Times, Time Out and The Stage
Darren Smith, creative director, DLT Entertainment

• Click here to make Chortle a 'preferred source' on Google, which means results from this site will appear higher in your search results.

Published: 26 Aug 2026