History of Australian Award Winners

2018

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2018
Bob Franklin

CATEGORY AWARDS
Best Comedy: Bob Franklin – Yours Sincerely
Best Cabaret: Creatures of the Deep
and
Jude Perl: I Have A Face

People’s choice award: wtf renaissance 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS:
The QLD Tour Ready Award  – 10 Things I Hate About Taming of the Shrew
The WA Tour Ready Award  – Cam Venn – Charles Horse Lays an Egg
People’s Choice Award – Baby Bi Bi Bi

Melbourne Fringe Living Legend Award – Susie Dee

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2018 
Sam Campbell

Barry Award, for the best show: Sam Campbell The Trough  
Nominees for The Barry Award:
Alex Edelman (USA)- Just for Us 
Anne Edmonds – as Helen Bidou – Enter the Spinaker Lounge
Tim Key (UK) – Megadate
Lano & Woodley (Colin Lane and Frank Woodley) – Fly!
Rose Matafeo (NZ) – Horndog!
Celia Pacquola – All Talk
Natalie Palamides (USA) – Laid

The Best Newcomer – Danielle Walker Bush Rat 
Nominees for The Best Newcomer Award:
Paul Williams(NZ) – Summertime Love
Stephanie Tisdell – Identity Steft
Garry Starr – Performs Everything
Lewis Garnham – The Smartest Idiot You’ll Ever Meet
Nadia Collins – Virgin Bloody Mary

The Golden Gibbo Award (for an artistic independent production) – Cam Venn for Charles Horse Lays An Egg
Nominees for The Golden Gibbo Award:
Sophie Joske and Anna Piper Scott  – Almost Lesbians
Garry Starr  – Performs Everything 
Julia Rorke & Elysia Hall – Not Another F***** B**** In India
Michelle Brasier & Laura Frew
(Double Denim) – Double Denim Adventure Show]

People’s Choice Award – Lano & Woodley – Fly!

The Directors’ Choice Award – Michelle Brasier and Laura Frew for Double Denim Adventure Show

The Pinder Prize – Demi Lardner – I Love Skeleton 
Piece of Wood Award – Heath Franklin – Bogan Jesus
Funny Tonne Winner -Alasdair Bryant (76 Shows)
Deadly Funny National Grand Final winner – Leon Filewood (QLD)
RAW Comedy Grand Final Winner – Bec Melrose (NSW)
RAW Runners-Up: Gavin Sempel (VIC), Emma Holland (ACT)

Class Clowns National Grand Final Winners – Liam Adam, Carlin Carruth & Kyle Bennett (QLD) as ‘Awkward’!
Class Clowns Runners-Up:
Dusty Diddle (VIC),
Nina Cowley-Mousinho (QLD)
Shiloh Rea (QLD)
Nicholas Doring (NSW)

2017

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2017
Travelling Sisters

CATEGORY AWARDS
Best Comedy: The Travelling Sisters: NOO SHO
Best Cabaret: Seen & Heard

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD:
The New Zealand Tour Ready Award  – The Travelling Sisters: NOO SHO
The QLD Tour Ready Award  – Rama Nicholas in The Lucky Ones
Spirit of the Fringe – Kaitlyn Rogers – Can I Get An Amen?!

Melbourne Fringe Living Legend Award – Richard Watts

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2017 

Hannah Gadsby

Barry Award – Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
Best Newcomer – Aaron Chen: The Infinite Faces of Chenny Baby
and
Angus Gordon: Sad Boy Comedy Hour
Piece of Wood – Luke Heggie: Rough Diamante
Directors’ Choice – Demi Lardner: Look What You Made Me Do
Vodafone People’s Choice – Judith Lucy  & Denise Scott: Disappointments
and
Wil Anderson: Critically Wil

Golden Gibbo – Granny Bingo: A Visit With Nan In A Caravan
Pinder Prize – Damien Power: Utopia: Now in 3D!
Funny Tonne – Will Erskine – He saw 154 shows in 24 days

2016

The 2016 Sydney Comedy Festival Awards Frank Woodley 16

Best Newcomer (jointly): Demi Lardner – Life Mechanic
& Ivan Aristeguieta – Chorizo Sizzle
Best of the Fest (local): Frank Woodley – Extra Ordinary
Best of the Fest (International): Daniel Sloss – Dark
Director’s Choice: Aunty Donna

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2016
Zoe as Dave
Zoe Coombes Marr as Dave

Barry Award: Zoe Coombes-Marr – Trigger Warning 
Golden Gibbo Award: Zoe Coombes-Marr – Trigger Warning
Best Newcomer Award: Tom Walker – Beep Boop + Zanzoop – Feeble Minds 
Directors’ Choice Award: Anne Edmonds, Damian Power and Greg Larsen –True Australian Patriots Live!
and
Sam Campbell, Cam Campbell, Tom Walker and Aaron Chen – Zanzoop – Feeble Minds 
People’s choice award:  Carl Barron – Drinking with a Fork
Piece Of Wood Award: Chris Wainhouse – The Antichris
Funny Tonne: Jeremy McPherson

Deadly Funny Award: Jalen Sutcliffe  (Victoria)The Eulogy
Raw Comedy Grand Final Winner: Danielle Walker (Victoria)
Class Clowns National Grand Final Winner:  Lauren Duong (ACT)

 

Adelaide Fringe Festival 

Best Comedy: Michael Burgos – The Eulogy

 

2015

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2015

CATEGORY AWARDSLaura Davis
Best Comedy: Laura Davis – Ghost Machine
Best Emerging Writer: Telia Nevile, Poet vs. Pageant
Best Cabaret: Mager & Smythe – The Road to Shangri La 
People’s choice award: wtf renaissance 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD:
Outstanding Comedy Show:  Rowena Hutson – Strong Female Character

The 2015 Sydney Comedy Festival Awards 

BEST OF THE FEST [Local]: Lawrence Mooney –  Surely NotMooney Surely Not
BEST OF THE FEST [International]: Jim Jefferies
BEST NEWCOMERs: Corey White and Sam Campbell
THE DIRECTOR’S CHOICE: Luke Heggie

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2015 

Barry Award: Sam Simmons – Spaghetti For Breakfast
Golden Gibbo Award: Laura Davis – Ghost machine
Best Newcomer Award: Corey White – The Cane Toad Affect
Directors’ Choice Award: Matt Okine  – The Other GuySam Simmons
People’s choice award:  Wil Anderson – Free Wil

Piece Of Wood Award: Anne Edmonds
Funny Tonne: Sarah Trevarthen
Deadly Funny Award: Nina Kirby  (Victoria)
The Deadly Mentorship Award Winner: Karen Edwards (QLD)
Raw Comedy Grand Final Winner: Angus Gordon (Queensland)
Runner Up – Rohan Ganju (Vic)
Special Mentions: Sam Taunton (Vic) & Jess Perkins (Vic)
Class Clowns National Grand Final Winner:  Will Mckenna (14) from Eltham College (Victoria)

Kraken

Adelaide Fringe Festival Awards

Best Comedy:  Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN
Underbelly Edinburgh AwardCut by Duncan Graham and Hannah Norris AND: Sam Simmons – Spaghetti For Breakfast
Emerging Artist: Penny Greenhalgh- POP POP

2014

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2014

CATEGORY AWARDS
Best Comedy: Watson: Who’s Afraid of the Dark?Watson Afraid of the Dark
Best Cabaret: Reception: The Musical

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS:
The SA Tour Ready Award: Womanz
The WA Tour Ready Award: Womanz
The Tiki Tour Ready AwardBucket’s List

 

The 2014 Sydney Comedy Festival Awards
Ronny Chieng Reaction pic

BEST OF THE FEST [Local]: Ronny Chieng –  Chieng Reaction 
BEST OF THE FEST [International]David O’Doherty – Will Try To Fix Everything
BEST NEWCOMER: Luke McGregor – I Worry That I Worry Too Much
THE DIRECTOR’S CHOICE: Sam Simmons –  Death of a Sails-Man

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2014 

Barry Award: Denise Scott – Mother Bare
Golden Gibbo Award: Fancy Boy -Variety Show
Best Newcomer Award: Stella Young
Directors’ Choice Award: Ronny Chieng – Chieng Reaction
Special Commendation – The On-gals Babbling Comedy
People’s choice award:  Wil Anderson – Wiluminati
Runner Up – Denise Scott
3rd Place – Em Rusciano
Piece Of Wood Award: Sarah Kendall
Funny Tonne: Chris Menezies – 158 shows
Deadly Funny Award: Stephanie Tisdell from Queensland
Raw Comedy Grand Final Winner: Matt Stewart from Melbourne, Victoria
Runner Up – Katie Burch from Cronulla, New South Wales
Class Clowns National Grand Final Winner: Gregor Tarrant from Wodonga Middle Years’ College in Victoria

Adelaide Fringe Festival 

Best Comedy: The Boy with Tape on his Face: MORE TAPE
Banksa Award Pick Of The Fringe : The Boy with Tape on his Face: MORE TAPE
Underbelly Edinburgh Award: Kraken by Trygve Wakenshaw

 

2013

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2013

Best Comedy: EDGE! by Rachel Davis and Isabel Angus
Best Venue: Imperial Hotel
Best Cabaret: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by  Gillian Cosgriff
Best Kids: Squid Stamp – The Technology Show
2013 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS:
Touring Award Outstanding Comedy Show:  Simon Keck – Nob Happy Sock
Local Award – People’s Choice Award: Wizard Sandwiches – The Last Lunch

 

The 2013 Sydney Comedy Festival Awards

Best of the Fest [Local] : Matt Okine
Best of the Fest [International] : Paul Foot
Best newcomer : Steen Raskopoulos
The breakout artist : Trevor Noah
The Director’s choice : Michael Workman
The MX Joke of the Festival: Rhys Nicholson

 

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2013 

Funny Tonne – Nick Taras – 147 shows
Golden Gibbo – Simon Keck, [Highly Commended – Kate McLennan and Wes Snelling; Double Standard]
Piece Of Wood Award – David Quirk
People’s Choice – Arj Barker
Directors’ Choice – Mel Buttle
Best Newcomer – Luke McGregor
Barry Award– Rich Hall
RAW Comedy – Demi Lardner
Class Clowns –  James Warren

 

Adelaide Fringe Festival

Best Comedy
Kitty Flanagan: Hello Kitty Flanagan – A-List Entertainment
Best Comedy – Emerging
Wolf Creek: The Musical – SPUR

2012

Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2012

Best Comedy: Choose your Own Portenza – by Neal Portenza
Highly Commended Comedy: Slutmonster & Friends – by Lucas Heil, Wes Gardner and Jessie Ngaio
Best Cabaret: Just a Little Something I’ve Been Working On – by Ruth Wilkin
Best Kids Show: Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and his Singing Tiger by Dr Brown and Stuart Bowden
Best Circus: Pants Down Circus
Best Venue: Trades Hall
People’s Choice Award: Aunty Donna and the Fax Machine Shop by Broden Kelly, Adrian Dean, Zachary Duane and Mark Samuel Bonanno
Touring Award for Outstanding Comedy Show Supported by Brisbane Powerhouse: Truth – by Vachel Spirason and Stephanie Brotchie
The Tour Ready Award Supported by Adelaide Fringe: How to Draw Cartoobs and Other Typos by artist First Dog on the Moon

Perth International Comedy Festival Awards 2012

Best Local Act: Tropical Parodies
Next Gen Winner: Suns of Fred
Best Australian Act: Felicity Ward
Best International Act: The Pajama Men
Critics’ Choice: The Pajama Men
Best of the Fest: Des Bishop

Time Out Sydney Comedy Festival Awards 2012

Best Newcomer  – Rhys Nicholson
Best Local/Australian Act – Felicity Ward
Best Sydney Act – Luke Heggie
Best International – Daniel Kitson
Critics Choice – Lou Sanz
Best Venue – Happy Endings Comedy Club

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards 2012

The Funny Tonne : Jennifer Law who saw 102 shows
The Bulmers People’s Choice Award: Wil Anderson
The Golden Gibbo: Lessons With Luis
The Piece of Wood: Bob Franklin AND Steven Gates
The Directors Choice Award subcategory award for a childrens’ : Dr Brown & Stuart Bowden for Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown: The Kids Show.
The Adult’s Directors Choice Award: RodQuantock
The Airport Best Newcomer Award was a tie: Ronny Chieng and Matt Okine
The Barry Award: Dr Brown for his show BEFRDFGTH
The Jhonesy Award by an Anonymous Benefactor was presented to Shane Matherson and his fabulous singing bucket of Gravel.
RAW Comedy : Lessons with Luis
Class Clowns : Aaron Chen

Previous Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award Winners

The Barry Award  [- best show at the festival]
1998: Linda Haggar and Fahey Younger – Miss Itchy’s Creme De Menthe Breakfast Show
1999: Sue-Ann Post – G Strings and Jockstraps
2000: The Boosh – Arctic Boosh
2001: Brian Munich, Brian Munich & Friends
2002: Ross Noble
2003: Mike Wilmot
2004: Maria Bamford
2005: The Drowsy Drivers – Keating! The Opera
2006: Demetri Martin – Dr Earnest Parrot Presents Demetri Martin
2007: Daniel Kitson – It’s the Fireworks Talking
2008: Shared between Nina Conti – Complete and Utter Conti and Kristen Schaal – As You Have Probably Never Seen Her Before (USA)
2009: The Pajama Men – Versus vs Versus
2010: Sammy J and Randy (Heath McIvor) – Ricketts Lane
2011: Russell Kane – Smokescreens and Castles

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Best Newcomer
2000: Gerard McCulloch – An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman Walk Into A Documentary and Emma Bathgate – The Dilapidated Diva
2001: Fiona O’Loughlin – Fiona and her sister (and some guy) and Cal Wilson – Hello Kitty
2002: Jim Russell, Marty Sheargold and Aidan Fennessy – The Trade and The Drowsy Drivers – Northcote Country Soul
2003: Flight Of The Conchords
2004: The Kransky Sisters – We Don’t Have Husbands and Eddie Perfect – Angry Eddie
2005: Christina Adams – To Miss With Love
2006: Sammy J – Sammy J’s 55 Minute National Tour
2007: Josh Thomas – Please like me
2008: Fear Of a Brown Planet – Nazeem Hussain & Aamer Rahman
2009: Tom Ballard Is What He Is
2010: Claudia O’Doherty – Monsters of the Deep 3D
2011: Michael Workman – Humans Are Beautiful

Piece of Wood Award
1998: Linda Hagger and Fahey Younger
1999: Simon Munnery
2000: Stewart Lee
2001: Rich Fulcher
2002: Charlie Pickering and Michael Chamberlin
2003: Justin Hamilton
2004: Andrew McClelland
2005: Tony Law
2006: Shared between Fiona O’Loughlin and Damian Callinan
2007: Andy Zaltzman
2008: Tom Gleeson
2009: Lawrence Mooney
2010: Sam Simmons
2011: Harley Breen – I Heart Bunnings: Stories About My Brothers

Golden Gibbo
2004: Jo Randerson – Carry on Randerson and Eddie Perfect – Angry Eddie
2005: The Drowsy Drivers – Keating! The Opera
2006: Greg Bird – Cliffy is Relaxed and Comfortable
2007: The Glass Boat
2008: The Suitcase Royale – The Ghosts of Ricketts Hill
2009: The List Operators
2010: Sam Simmons and David Quirk – The Incident
2011: Geraldine Quinn – You’re The Voice: Songs For The Ordinary By An Anthemaniac

Directors’ Choice Award
2005:: Tim Minchin – Darkside
2006: Men of Steel and Nick Sun – Blood on the Yolks in the Key of Owls
2007: Justin Hamilton
2008: Sam Simmons
2009: The Bedroom Philosopher – Songs From The 86 Tram
2010: Hannah Gadsby – The Cliff Young Shuffle
2011: Denise Scott – Regrets

The People’s Choice Award
2011: Wil Anderson – Man vs. Wil

The Age Critics’ Award
2001: Brian Munich & Friends
2002: Ross Noble
2003: Paul McDermott, Cameron Bruce and Mick Moriarty – GUD UGH and Denise Scott, Judith Lucy and Lynda Gibson – Comedy Is Still Not Pretty
2004: The Kransky Sisters – We Don’t Have Husbands
2005: The Drowsy Drivers – Keating! The Opera
2006: Judith Lucy – I Failed
2007: Lawerence Leung Learns To Breakdance
2008: Sammy J In The Forest of Dreams
2009: Celia Pacquola – Am I Strange?
2010: Asher Treleaven – Secret Door

RAW Comedy
1996: Stephen Head and Anthony Manchetti (VIC)
1997: Subby Valentine (NSW)
1998: Chris Franklin (NSW)
1999: Chris Wainhouse (QLD)
2000: Drew Rokos (VIC)
2001: Emily O’Loughlin (SA)
2002: Dave Elvins (NSW)
2003: Nelly Thomas (VIC) and Steve Sheehan (SA)
2004: Nick Sun (NSW)
2005: Josh Thomas (QLD)
2006: Hannah Gadsby (TAS)
2007: Jonathan Schuster (VIC)
2008: Neil Sinclair (VIC)
2009: Michael Workman (WA)
2010: Luke Heggie (NSW)
2011: Dayne Rathbone (ACT)
2012: Lessons with Luis (Vic)