The winners of The List Festival Awards have been unveiled, highlighting another exceptional season of art, books, film, comedy, dance, theatre and plenty more. 

Taking place at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the ceremony honoured artists and entertainers from across the festivals that take place in Edinburgh throughout the summer months, representing the breadth of their dynamism, diversity and talent. 

Taking home the prize for Best Rising Scottish Artist was Hamish Halley for Please Keep at the The People’s Story Museum. He created a poignant video piece that intertwines two narratives: the intimate act of cleaning his grandparents’ home after their passing and the monumental transition of the Perth Museum’s collection to a new space.

The winner of Best Rising Scottish Author was Michael Mullen for his debut collection of poetry, Goonie, which explored queerness through fierce lyricism and vernacular vignettes about Scotland. For Best Scottish Film, the winner was Paul Sng’s Reality Is Not Enough, a visually unique and intellectually engaging portrait of the life of Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh’s prolific career and fascinating personal life. 

Our Best Comedy Show award went to Bebe Cave for her show Christbride, a dark comedy about a woman in a world of male dullards. For Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre Show, the winner was Small Town Boys, a celebration of the 80s club scene as the AIDs epidemic slowly moves from the peripheries to the centre of many young gay men’s lives. 

Our Best Show From Adelaide was Smile – The Story Of Charlie Chaplin, a moving portrait of the silent cinema icon’s life and times. In our Best LGBTQIA+ Show category, the winner was Kinder, a crackling work of theatre in which a drag act has her children’s story hour derailed by a protest group. 

Winning the Spirit Of The Fringe Award was Pussy Riot: Riot Days, a theatre piece from the protest art collective based on Maria ‘Masha’ Alyokhina's acclaimed book of the same name, which chronicles the collective’s iconic protests, court trials and prison sentences. 

For Best Show at the International Festival, our winner was Mary, Queen Of Scots, a new Scottish Ballet epic which imagines a rich, resonant journey through memory, history and myth. The Best Kids Show winner was Funz N Gamez Rebootz, Phil Ellis’ anarchic anti-kids show packed with wild tasks and a chaotic sense of fun. 

Receiving the Sit-Up Award was Body Count, a one-woman dark comedy exploring the new era of sex work as a competitive sport. Meanwhile, The International Fringe Encore Series prize went to Hot Mess, a subversive musical exploring the destruction of the climate. 

The List Festival Awards are in partnership with Johnnie Walker Princes Street and was hosted by Michael Pedersen and Gemma Cairney. Each List winner received a cash award of £500 with two further awards presented in partnership with other organisations. The Sit-Up Award winner received £5000 and a slot on the 2025/26 Fringe Encore series. The award aims to help harness the power of theatre to achieve greater social impact. The International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize received a run at the SoHo Playhouse in New York including accommodation and travel plus financial support.

Supporters of The List Festival Awards include LNER, Ghost Light Global, Data Thistle, The Pitt, Dishoom, Edinburgh Marriott Hotel Holyrood, Set! Productions, Adelaide Fringe, Pure Life Plus and Johnnie Walker Princes Street.