The winners of the List Festival Awards have been announced. Among the awards is the McTavish Award, created to remember Vladimir McTavish, the much loved Scottish comedian who died this year. The winner of the inaugural McTavish Award is Chris Forbes. Australian clown Conk won Best Comedy Award for his show Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour.
The full winners are as follows:
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best Comedy Show (Supported by Whyte & Mackay)
Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour, Conk
Award-winning comedian Conk spends an hour singing the same song on repeat, turning a simple musical premise from a live experiment into a hilarious feat of absurdity.
Edinburgh Art Festival - Best Rising Scottish Artist (Supported by Set! Productions)
Lee McCormack: A Magic Lantern, Craigmillar Now
A Magic Lantern is the first solo exhibition by Niddrie photographer and former community worker Lee McCormack. Her powerful and sensitive photographs capture domestic scenes and social action between the late 1970s to early 2000s.
Edinburgh International Book Festival - Best Rising Scottish Author (Supported by Edinburgh Marriott Hotel Edinburgh)
Alycia Pirmohamed
Poet and winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize with non-fiction debut, Alycia Pirmohamed’s Shorelines questions the legacies of migration and explores how place and identity intertwine.
Edinburgh International Film Festival - Best Scottish Film (Supported by Arbikie Distillery)
These Violent Delights, Christopher Hampson, Oscar Sansom
Scottish Ballet’s intoxicating, beautifully realised retelling of the classic Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, combines stunning choreography, gorgeous costuming and fluid cinematography.
Edinburgh International Festival - Best International Show (Supported by Ghost Light Global)
A Trial - after An Enemy Of The People, Christiane Jatahy
Transplanting Ibsen’s themes to contemporary Brazil, A Trial - after An Enemy of the People offers a sharp look at authoritarianism, fake news and public judgement. Ever inventive and deeply political, Christiane Jatahy combines audience participation and filmed footage, creating a one-of-a-kind performance.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best Cabaret Show (Supported by Big Think Agency)
Sarah Hester Ross: Serving C*nt, Sarah Hester Ross
International touring cabaret artist Sarah Hester Ross brings her viral songs and razor-sharp humour to a one-woman show packed with powerhouse vocals and cabaret chaos.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre Show (Supported by YourScene)
Collaborator, Ockham’s Razor
Ockham’s Razor return with an intimate duet crafted and performed by Artistic Directors Alex and Charlotte, in an irreverent, highly physical and heartfelt exploration of the negotiation involved in making something: a decision, a work of art, a life.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best Kids Show (Supported by Data Thistle)
Boys Don't Dance, Marc Brew
Boys Don't Dance is a poignant dance theatre show by acclaimed disabled artist Marc Brew, reflecting on his lifelong journey defying societal expectations to embrace his love for dance. Combining movement with BMX and wheels, storytelling, and an uplifting 80s soundtrack – Boys Don’t Dance creates an immersive experience for audiences.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best LGBTQIA+ Show (Supported by Pure Life Plus)
Megasquirt: Fully Loaded, Megasquirt
Megasquirt, an experimental comedy music project from Brooklyn, is an unhinged hybrid concert/sketch show promising a high-octane flood of gay brain rot set to a sickening beat.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Best Show From Adelaide (Supported by Adelaide Fringe)
DUST, Charlaina Thompson
This true story is dedicated to the servicemen who fought for their country, the seven men who tragically died in the Lofthouse Colliery disaster of 1973, and every miner who lived their lives in darkness so we could live in the light.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize
Big Stuff, Baram and Snieckus
Acclaimed Canadian Second City comedy duo Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus bring their signature blend of storytelling and improvisation to a hilarious, heartfelt exploration of the things we leave behind.
Bragi Award
Common Tongue (JGProducing, Fraser Scott)
A fast-paced, riotous one-person show exploring the impact of language, identity and their intersections in Scotland. Bonnie’s life has been defined by words; the right ones, the wrong ones and the ones used against her.
McTavish Award
Chris Forbes: Father Christmas, (Brass Tacks Comedy, Chris Forbes)
Brass Tacks Comedy brings a deeply personal stand-up show from critically acclaimed Scottish comedian Chris Forbes, blending big laughs and beautiful storytelling in a heartfelt exploration of festive joy, family and the Christmas Day that changed everything. An irreverent, moving and hilarious take on the season for anyone who loves, or hates, Christmas.
