Ian GeorgesonAustralian comic Sam Campbell has been named winner of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award for best show at this year’s festival Fringe.
The Queensland native’s absurdist set, imaginatively entitled ‘Comedy Show,’ netted him the £10,000 prize after a string of critically acclaimed performances at the capital’s Monkey Barrel venue.
The 26-year-old, who won a similar prize at the 2018 Melbourne Comedy Festival, joins the likes of Frank Skinner, Steve Coogan and Dylan Moran as a winner of the prize, previously known as the Perrier.
Campbell became the fifth Australian act to win the award, with previous winners including Brendon Burns, Sam Simmons and Hannah Gadsby.
Mexican-born American comic Lara Ricote, a fellow Monkey Barrel performer who is partially deaf, was named best newcomer, becoming the first disabled person to win at the awards.
Meanwhile, Best in Class, which supports working class comedians at the event, took home the gong for “spirit of the Fringe”.
It is the first time the awards have been handed out since 2019 after two years of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival reaches its conclusion on Sunday evening.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
