Melbourne International Comedy Festival announces winners in every category including most outstanding show
Celia Pacquola triumphed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Gift HorseIt won the most outstanding show award, one of the most coveted awards worldwide for live comedy.
During the festival, Age critic Hannah Francis called it “masterful, layered and poetic”.
The winning show, chosen by a secret panel of industry judges, was announced at a ceremony at The Toff in Town on Saturday, hosted by Josh Thomas. Pacquola managed to make it among the largest nomination list in the festival’s history. This was his fifth nomination.
Other candidates included Abby Wambaugh. 17 First 3 Minutes of the ShowCassie Workman you are hereDan Tiernan Quartz and AllEmmanuel Sonubi Life Near DeathFrankie McNair Big Ass MentalityKitty Flanagan Happy GameLara Ricote I believeReuben Kaye hard to swallow and Sam Nicoresti Baby Fatal.
“Is that really that damn canoe?” Pacquola was stunned in his acceptance speech. “I’ve written a lot of shows over the last 20 years about mental health, feminism, and my mother, but was this the one about the inflatable kayak my boyfriend bought me that I didn’t want?”
Flanagan won’t be too upset about missing out, as he received the People’s Choice award for most tickets sold and the festival’s biggest paycheck.
Choosing the most outstanding act, the panel awarded the gong for best newcomer to Nathan Chin. Chinese Comedy Party.
“I follow what Aaron Chen and Ronny Chieng are doing,” he joked about previous award winners. “I hope my family is proud.”
A separate panel awarded the Golden Gibbo to cult favorite Laura Davis for a local independent show pursuing creative vision over box office revenue. Spoil.
The Pinder Prize, honoring festival co-founder John Pinder, will fund Lizzy Hoo to attend her show Does he say hoo? To the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.
The comedian’s choice award – literally (and by tradition, you have to do it on stage) – went to Piece of Wood, Nikki Britton. Not Being Dramatic by his peers and former winners for “doing good and doing it.”
The Directors’ Choice award, chosen by festival president Susan Provan in consultation with her colleagues, was given to Nath Valvo. Homeowner and for Kate Dolan Trout. This award was awarded jointly for the second year in a row. Dolan, who had just been presented with the Golden Gibbo award he won last year, could barely make a speech during the festival because he struggled with illness and lost his voice.
The festival’s revival in 2026 also meant the VicScreen Greenlight Award, a newly created award given to a program with outstanding screen potential. Former RAW Comedy winner Bron Lewis won the award and it’s undoubtedly his show Chaos It will be on our televisions soon.
This year, 70 percent of award nominees were women, and 75 percent of them received the award.
The festival’s 40th anniversary hosted over 800 shows in 200 theatres, pubs, makeshift venues, performance spaces and wherever a PA system worked, resulting in the largest program to date with over 9100 performances across the city. This figure eclipsed last year’s performance of 7718.
Age It is a partner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
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Tyson Wray is a writer and editor who has been covering and covering cultural events in Melbourne for over a decade.
