The 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award winners have been announced at a special ceremony hosted by Geraldine Hickey.
The 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Most Outstanding Show was awarded to Garry Starr for his show Classic Penguins – a visual wordplay on the literature classics.
The Best Newcomer Award, for the best solo performer or group of performers doing their first Festival show, went to Jessica Barton for her impressive debut – a combination of song, dance and clowning in Dirty Work.
The People’s Choice Award for the most popular show of the Festival, as determined by the ticket buying public, went to Urzila Carlson for her show You Don’t Say, which filled up the Palais Theatre a whopping 10 nights.
Directors’ Choice Award, awarded by the Festival Director Susan Provan in consultation with festival programming colleagues to a show they think deserves celebration went to both Dan Rath and Noah Szto.
The Pinder Prize, honouring Festival co-founder John Pinder and awarded in collaboration with Assembly Edinburgh will support Scout Boxall to travel to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with their show God’s Favourite.
The Golden Gibbo – in memory of the late, great Lynda Gibson – is aimed at finding a local, independent show that pursues the artists’ idea more than it pursues commercial gain. This year, the award went to Kate Dolan for The Critic, in which she gives voice to her not-so-secret inner critic.
The Piece of Wood comics’ choice award, selected by past winners and presented to a peer literally for “doin’ good stuff ‘n’ that” was awarded to Daniel Connell.
By midnight on Sunday (today), when the Comedy Festival wraps up its 26-day run, a staggering 7,718 performances will have taken place across 184 performance spaces.
Over 1,000 performers – from emerging talent to household names – will have taken to the stage, delivering a diverse mix of stand-up, sketch, improv, cabaret and everything in between.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival continues to 20 April 2025. For more information, visit: www.comedyfestival.com.au for details.
Image: 2025 Most Outstanding Show Award Winner, Garry Starr – photo by Nick Robertson