Knockout contest held during Fringe

American comic Jamie Wolf has won the £1,500 Edinburgh Fringe Comedian of the Year Competition.

Rather than being based on comics’ shows, this is a knockout competition with acts doing sets at heats held during the festival – with each winner being decided by audience vote.

The competition attracted 350 applications, with 100 comedians selected to battle it out across 18 heats. Donal Vaughan, El Purnell, Vlad Ilich and Devin Gray also made the final.

Meanwhile, Adam Greene has been crowned the first Joke Thieves World Champion, taking home £1,500. The contest was also run over several heats at the Fringe with comedians telling other acts' jokes.

Both competitions are run by producers Need To Know Comedy.

Separately, Durham Revue won the Student Sketch Off 2026 competition.

Published: 30 Aug 2026