Chris Cantrill and Marty Gleeson Win Top Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2026

Chris Cantrill and Irish comedian Marty Gleeson took home the prize for best comedy show and best newcomer respectively at the 46th Edinburgh Comedy Awards on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.

Best Comedy Show Winner Chris Cantrill

The production is described as a twisted tale exploring how life in a peaceful countryside community was disrupted by a heinous act of vandalism, as reported by The Guardian. The win comes with £10,000 in prize money. This victory marks Cantrill’s fourth nomination for the festival’s top prize. He previously received nominations in 2019 and 2022 as one-half of the comedy duo The Delightful Sausage alongside comedian Amy Gledhill, as well as a solo nomination in 2024, according to The Guardian. With Gledhill having won the Best Comedy Show award in 2024, both members of the former double act have now secured the festival’s most prestigious accolade within a three-year span, as noted by The Guardian.

Best Newcomer Marty Gleeson

Irish stand-up comic Marty Gleeson won the Taffner Family Best Newcomer Award for her show Dog Ear, which draws inspiration from her time at art school in Limerick, according to The Guardian. The win includes £5,000 in prize money. Gleeson is a former BBC New Comedy Award finalist and Channel 4 Sean Lock Awards finalist, and she was crowned LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year in 2024, as reported by The Guardian.

Panel Prize and Ceremony Details

The Audible Panel Prize, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, was awarded to the charity benefit show One Joke, produced by Benjamin Alborough and Ellie BW of Liebenspiel, according to The Guardian. The unique format featured 60 comedians telling a single joke before leaving the stage, headlined by Lorna Rose Treen and produced in aid of charity. The panel prize carries £5,000 in prize money.

The awards ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, was hosted by previous winners Richard Gadd and Ayoade Bamgboye, as reported by The Guardian. Winners were selected by a judging panel chaired by Liz Lewin, director of comedy series at Netflix UK, following an extensive scouting process that covered more than 1,000 viewings across 550 eligible shows, according to The Guardian. Nica Burns serves as director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, with Emma Brünjes operating as executive director.