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. The ceremony will take place at W Edinburgh on Friday 28 August at 2pm. 

For the third year, The List Festival Awards will recognise achievements spanning visual art, literature, film, theatre, comedy, dance and cabaret. The incredible line-up of artists and works highlighted in the longlists showcases the strong quality and power of work on offer across the festival. These longlists are provisional; when the shortlists are published on Monday 24 August, they may include performances not listed below. Who knows what other five-star shows we'll find between then and now?

Today, the longlists have been announced for The List Festival Awards, celebrating the outstanding breadth of talent showcased across the city’s world-famous festivals. 

The longlists are as follows:

Fringe - Best Comedy

(Supported by Whyte & Mackay)

Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour 
Frankie McNair: Huge Ass Mindset 
Elf Lyons Is The Woman On The Edge 
She/They 
Alfie Brown: The Entertainer
Sydnee Washington: My Black Barbie Story 
David Elms Describes A Room 
Jack Brookmyre: Impressionable 
Brendan Scannell: The Abyss 
Madeleine Brettingham: Legend
Dan Rath: Help Me Please 
Scout Boxall: God's Favourite 

Fringe - Best Cabaret

(Supported by Big Think Agency)

Reuben Kaye: Hard To Swallow 
Deception: A Magic Experience 
Sarah Hester Ross: Serving Cunt 
Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett 
Kevin Quantum: Invisible Force 
Liberace And Liza: A Tribute 
Fempaths: Transistor Radio Hour 
The Upside Down Cabaret 
Colin Cloud: Hoax 

Fringe - Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre Show

(Supported by YourScene)

Collaborator 
Not For Glory 
Border Bodies 
Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again! 
Yuck Circus: Naughties 
Taiwan Season: Under Mask
Sand
Soft Spot 
The Sumo Show Hirakuza 
Tell Me 
The Palestinian Circus: Step And A Half 

Fringe – Best Kids

(Supported by Data Thistle)

Max Fulham's Monkey Business 
Darryl J Carrington: Out Of The Box 
Vasthy And Friends: Sing, Dance 
Boys Don't Dance 
Mama G: The Magic Bookmark 
Glob 
The Listies: 110% Ready 
Float 

Fringe – LGBTQIA+ Award

(Supported by Pure Life Plus)

Daddy 
Turn Your F*cking Phones Off 
A Gay Masseur's Guide To Happy Endings 
Hugo’s Rainbow Show 
Megasquirt: Fully Loaded 
Skank Sinatra: How To Succeed In Show Business Without Really Trying 
Cruising 
Big Gay Afterparty 
An Evening With Dame Granny Smith 
Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody 
Bi-Curious George: Snail Trail
Acid's Reign

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

(Supported by Adelaide Fringe)

Meteors 
Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy)
How Not To Make It In America 
Dust 
My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram 
70s Jukebox By The 60 Four 

Fringe – International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize

The Real Kyle McCarren 
Around The World In 80 Toys
You And Me (And Whoever Comes Next) 
The Jolly Fisherman 
Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck In The Middle (East) With You 
BearGirl 
Kirsty Mann: Corpse 
Dracula: Lucy’s Dream 
The Problem 
A Play On Words 
Daniel Foxx: How Lovely

One Man Musical

McTavish Award 

The Stand Comedy Club in partnership with The List 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 its social media channels. 

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.

Brian Donaldson, editor of The List, comments: ‘We’re delighted to announce the mid-month longlists for our Fringe Cabaret, Kids, Dance & Circus, 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, W Edinburgh, Friday 28 August.