Mark Silcox joins as sponsor

The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards have confirmed a record £16,000.01 prize fund for this year's Fringe.

It breaks down as £5,000 for best show, £4,000 for best newcomer, £5,000 for the panel prize, £1,000 for best tech and £1,000.01 for joke of the Fringe.

The awards  are sponsored by Romesh Ranganathan, Sarah Millican, James Corden, Rhod Gilbert, Elf Lyons and Takeover Radio 106.9FM – plus new sponsor Mark Silcox, pictured, who is contributing to the ‘joke of the Fringe’ prize.

He deadpanned: 'I'm proud to associate myself with the joke of the Fringe prize, as a recognised expert in crafting jokes.'

Comedian Nathan Cassidy – who set up the awards when it momentarily looked as if the main Edinburgh Comedy Awards was to be axed through lack of sponsorship – said: 'Four years ago ISH was simply an idea. Today it feels like a movement. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported this year's awards. Their generosity has enabled us to create our biggest-ever prize fund, with every penny going directly to rewarding artists.’

ISH originally stood for Insert Sponsor Here but Cassidy says he now also uses ISH to stand for ‘Industry Standard for Health’ as he seeks to promote a broader aim of pushing for a fairer creative sector, where success comes down to talent rather than connections.

He and producer Sarah Bowles will be handing out  stickers throughout the Fringe  to those who back the campaign,  inviting ‘everyone connected with the creative industries to think about the role they can play in making them healthier and fairer’.

Published: 5 Aug 2026