The winners of the Comedy Poster Awards 2026 have been revealed.
Panel Prize: Li Jin Hao: Falling From a Moon
Designed by Michael Julings and Tom Sandford, featuring a photo by Rebecca Need-Menear.
This category was decided by a panel of industry experts: Bronwyn Sweeney, Lou Sanders, Martin Lindley, MarySue Masson, Matt Box, Mr Bingo and Rob Mayhew.
Li Jin Hao says: "All praises due to Rebecca Need-Menear and Michael Julings and Jesus Christ and the Jade Emperor."
Audience Prize: Hannah Platt: Cult Classic
Designed by Gem Poole, featuring a photo by Lucy Ridges.
Hannah Platt says: "A huge thank you to Lucy Ridges for the gorgeous images and to Gem Poole for the cool design. I love being able to use posters as a visual language to speak to a potential audience, it's a really fun part of creating a fringe show for me."
This category was based on votes cast by visitors to the Comedy Poster Awards website. In total, the public made more than 10,000 votes.
Now in its tenth edition, the Comedy Poster Awards celebrate the designers, photographers, artists and comedians who turn a show idea into an image that can stop Edinburgh Fringe audiences in their tracks. At a festival where hundreds of comedians compete for attention, a great poster can be the difference between being walked past and being talked about.
The Comedy Poster Awards recognise the creativity, craft and sheer nerve that goes into making those images. Run by Gobby Girl Productions and British Comedy Guide, the Comedy Poster Awards celebrate the creativity, craft and sheer ridiculousness of comedy posters.
265 posters were entered into this year's contest. All the entries, alongside the winners from previous years, can be viewed via The Comedy Poster Awards website: https://www.comedy.co.uk/posters
This year, Serious About Funny Business - a marketing consultancy, newsletter and live events company promoting the value of comedy in helping businesses to better sell - came on board as official sponsor, with £1,000 in prize money going directly to the winners of the Panel Prize and Audience Vote (£500 each).
Gina Lyons, founder of the Comedy Poster Awards and Gobby Girl Productions, says: "A great comedy poster does a hell of a lot of heavy lifting. It has to stop you in your tracks, tell you who's funny, make you want to buy a ticket and somehow convince you the cost to Edinburgh is worth it. Huge thanks to our brilliant sponsor Serious About Funny Business, and British Comedy Guide, for helping us celebrate the people making that happen for another year!"
Matt Box, founder and brand strategist for marketing consultancy Serious About Funny Business, says: "Delighted to award the panel and public prizes to two exceptional designs that show how important posters are to the Edinburgh Fringe. The judges were overloaded with hundreds of amazing entries and it was the toughest of choices for us, and the over 10,000 voters."
ABOUT THE COMEDY POSTER AWARDS
The Comedy Poster Awards celebrate the best artwork related to comedy shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Established in 2014, the awards recognise the creativity and craft behind the posters that compete for audiences' attention every August.
The awards feature an Audience Award, decided by public vote, and a Panel Award, selected by industry judges.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/posters
ABOUT SERIOUS ABOUT FUNNY BUSINESS
Serious About Funny Business is a marketing consultancy, newsletter and live events company promoting the value of comedy in helping businesses to better sell.
The company believes comedy isn't just about getting a laugh. Used properly, it can help businesses cut through, connect with audiences, build memorable brands and ultimately sell more. Whether through strategic consultancy, its newsletter or live events, Serious About Funny Business helps businesses understand how to use humour as a serious commercial tool.
Their mission is simple: go from gags to riches.
https://seriousaboutfunny.biz/
