Leonardo Murrieta-Lagos wins at Melbourne comedy fest

Leonardo Murrieta-Lagos has won the Class Clowns title for school-age comedians at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The 16-year-old studies at the Gap State School in Brisbane, which receives an AU$1,000 workshop package, on top of the AU $1,500 Murrieta-Lagos won. 

Comedian Harry Jun, who was on the judging panel, said: ‘It’s great to see young people put out such original, funny and relatable material. It’s really inspiring to see – as a comic working now – the next generation.’

Runners-up were  Tiglath Chibo from Viewbank College in Melbourne and Rebecca Elphicke from Canberra College..

Class Clowns is one of the development programs run by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and is open to participants from years 9-12.

Class Clowns alumni include Josh Thomas, Aaron Chen and Rhys Nicholson.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs until April 20.

Published: 4 Apr 2025