The longlists for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe awards are as follows:

FRINGE - Best Comedy Show (Supported by Whyte & Mackay)

Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour, Conk, Summerhall Frankie McNair: Huge Ass Mindset, Frankie McNair, Gilded Balloon Teviot
Elf Lyons Is The Woman On The Edge, Elf Lyons, Pleasance Courtyard
She/They, Bronwyn Farkas and Sophie Jean, Venue 13

Alfie Brown: The Entertainer, Alfie Brown, Underbelly Cowgate
Sydnee Washington: My Black Barbie Story, Sydnee Washington, Monkey Barrel Cabaret Voltaire David Elms Describes A Room, David Elms, Pleasance Courtyard

Jack Brookmyre: Impressionable, Jack Brookmyre, The Stand
Brendan Scannell: The Abyss, Brendan Scannell, Gilded Balloon Patter House Madeleine Brettingham: Legend, Madeleine Brettingham, Gilded Balloon Teviot Dan Rath: Help Me Please, Dan Rath, Monkey Barrel Cabaret Voltaire
Scout Boxall: God's Favourite, Scout Boxall, Assembly George Square

FRINGE - Best Cabaret Show (Supported Big Think Agency)

Reuben Kaye: Hard To Swallow, Reuben Kaye, Assembly George Square Deception: A Magic Experience, Dan Bastianelli, Space Surgeons' Hall Sarah Hester Ross: Serving Cunt, Sarah Hester Ross, Gilded Balloon Teviot Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett, Bernie Dieter, Underbelly Circus Hub

Kevin Quantum: Invisible Force, Kevin Quantum, Assembly Rooms
Liberace And Liza: A Tribute, David Saffert and Jillian Snow, Underbelly Bristo Square Fempaths: Transistor Radio Hour, Mari Moriarty, Underbelly Bristo Square
The Upside Down Cabaret, Mr Brake Down, PBH Free Fringe
Colin Cloud: Hoax, Colin Cloud, Pleasance Courtyard

FRINGE - Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre Show (Supported by YourScene)

Collaborator, Ockham’s Razor, Pleasance at EICC
Not For Glory, Jack Anderson, Charlotte Mclean, Malin Lewis, Assembly Dance Base Border Bodies, T.F. Cia de Dança, Assembly Dance Base

Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again!, Black Blues Brothers, Underbelly Bristo Square Yuck Circus: Naughties, YUCK Circus, Assembly George Square Gardens
Under Mask, Mailantia Dance Company, Assembly Dance Base
Sand, Kook Ensemble, Summerhall

Soft Spot, OLO Company and Cluster Arts, Zoo Southside

The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA, The Sumo Hall HIRAKUZA, Zoo Southside

Tell Me, Sadiq Ali Company, Summerhall

The Palestinian Circus: Step And A Half, The Palestinian Circus with Medical Aid For Palestinians, Underbelly Circus Hub

FRINGE – Best Kids Show (Supported by Data Thistle)

Max Fulham's Monkey Business, Max Fulham, Gilded Balloon Teviot
Darryl J Carrington: Out Of The Box, Darryl J Carrington, Underbelly George Square

Vasthy And Friends: Sing, Dance, Play!, Vasthy Mompoint and Leanna Gadow, Gilded Balloon Patter House

Boys Don't Dance, Marc Brew Company, Assembly Dance Base Mama G: The Magic Bookmark, Mama G, Gilded Balloon Teviot Glob, Les Foutoukours, Underbelly Bristo Square
The Listies: 110% Ready, The Listies, Assembly George Square Studios Float, Starcatchers, Pleasance Courtyard

FRINGE – Best LGBTQIA+ Show (Supported by Pure Life Plus)

Daddy, Joel Bray Dance, Summerhall

Turn Your F*cking Phones Off, Hannah Maxwell, Summerhall

A Gay Masseur's Guide To Happy Endings, Austin Jennings Boykin, Greenside

Hugo’s Rainbow Show, Hugo Grrrl, Underbelly

Megasquirt: Fully Loaded, Megasquirt, Underbelly

Skank Sinatra: How To Succeed In Show Business Without Really Trying, Jens Radda, Assembly George Square

Cruising, Dreambite Collective, Pleasance Courtyard
Big Gay Afterparty, RGB Monster, Just the Tonic
An Evening With Dame Granny Smith, David Salter, Underbelly George Square
Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody, Quick and Funny Musicals, Gilded Balloon Patter House Bi-Curious George: Snail Trail, Bi-Curious George, Pleasance Courtyard
Acid's Reign, Relish Theatre, Pleasance Courtyard

FRINGE - Best Show From Adelaide (Supported by Adelaide Fringe)

Meteors, The CRAM Collective, Summerhall
Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy), Millicent Sarre, Assembly Roxy How Not To Make It In America, Theatre Republic, Summerhall
Dust, Charlaina Thompson, Pleasance Courtyard
My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram, Yoz Mensch, Underbelly Cowgate 70s Jukebox By The 60 Four, The 60 Four, Assembly St Andrew Square

FRINGE – International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize

The Real Kyle McCarren, Andy Roninson, Pleasance Courtyard
Around The World In 80 Toys, Thaddeus Phillips, Summerhall
You And Me (And Whoever Comes Next), Patch of Blue and 3hc, Summerhall
Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck In The Middle (East) With You, Hasan Al-Habib, Pleasance Courtyard BearGirl, Hey Thanks! Theatre Collective, Assembly Roxy
Kirsty Mann: Corpse, Kirsty Mann, Summerhall
Dracula: Lucy’s Dream, Plexus Polaire, Pleasance at EICC
The Problem, Twilight Theatre Company, Assembly St Andrew Square
A Play On Words, Twilight Theatre Company, Assembly St Andrew Square
Daniel Foxx: How Lovely., Daniel Foxx, Monkey Barrel Comedy
One Man Musical, Flo & Joan, Pleasance Courtyard

McTavish Award

The Stand Comedy Club in partnership with The List Magazine and The Comedy Unit are launching the McTavish Award, which recognises the most outstanding show by a Scottish or Scottish-based act. The prize is sponsored by W Edinburgh and will include £2.5k, a Fringe run or tour in The Stand’s venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle, plus development mentoring with The Comedy Unit for TV or radio. The shortlist for The Stand’s McTavish Award will be announced on Friday 21 August on their social media channels (@standcomedyclub).

The List Festival Awards 2026 will once again bring together artists, industry professionals and festival organisations for an afternoon celebrating the creativity and ambition that defines Edinburgh in August. Hosts W Edinburgh will welcome guests with a celebratory drink and canapes.

This year’s awards will also spotlight emerging creative talent through a partnership with Edinburgh College. Students from the HND Visual Communication course have individually designed each laurel, giving local designers the opportunity to contribute directly to one of the festival season’s major industry celebrations. The HND Visual Communication course, specialising in graphic design, is an award-winning studio-based programme offering students opportunities to work at the forefront of contemporary design practice through industry engagement and live creative briefs.

With a year-round monthly magazine (weekly during the Festival) and an extensive digital platform, The List publishes and distributes information on events and entertainment and is a must-read for finding out what’s on. The List reviews approximately 400 shows across the Edinburgh Festival offering some of the most engaging, authoritative and extensive content for audiences.

Brian Donaldson, editor of The List, comments: ‘We’re delighted to announce the mid-month longlists for our Fringe Cabaret, Kids, Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre, and Comedy awards as well as number of our partner prizes. Our reviewers and scouts have been out seeing dozens of shows since the Fringe kicked off and these lists celebrate the shows and acts that have made the biggest impression on us so far. Over the next week, we’ll be seeing many more shows as we work towards our final shortlists, reflecting the excitement, brilliance, diversity and occasional weirdness that the Fringe does so well.’

The List Festival Awards Friday 28th August 2026 2pm – 5pm

W Edinburgh, 1 Saint James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AX

International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize

The annual International Fringe Encore Series provides opportunities to emerging artists that show exceptional artistic and commercial talent at this season's Fringe Festival. In recognition of their excellence, SoHo Playhouse offers these special shows an extended run Off–Broadway in New York City, with winners in both Theatre and Comedy categories. This extended run gives these incredible up and coming shows a platform for future productions and success. Previous winners of the International Fringe Encore Series include: Afghanistan Is Not Funny by Henry Naylor, Troy Hawke: Sigmund Troy'd by Milo McCabe, and Xhloe & Natasha’s A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson Or God: Whoever Reads This First.