Melbourne International Comedy Festival

A number of awards are handed at this festival:

The Barry Award
Launched in 1998 as the 'Stella Award' and renamed in 2000 to honour the Festival's founding patron Barry Humphries.

2009: Pajama Men
Nominees: Otis Lee Crenshaw, Tim Minchin, Sarah Millican, Henning Wehn and Otto Kuhlne: 1,000 Years Of German Humour

2008: Shared between Nina Conti: Complete And Utter Conti and Kristen Schaal As You've Probably never seen her before
Nominees: Fiona O’Loughlin, Josie Long: Trying Is Good, Justin Hamilton: The Killing Joke, and Sammy J In The Forest Of Dreams.

2007: Daniel Kitson: It'sThe Fireworks Talking
Nominees: We Are Klang, Russell Howard, David O'Doherty, Will Adamsdale and Chris Branch, Fiona O'Loughlin, Kate McLennan

2006: Demetri Martin: Dr Earnest Parrot presents Demetri Martin
Nominees: Charlie Pickering, Daniel Kitson, Mark Watson, Sam Simmons, Tim Minchin

2005: The Drowsy Drivers: Keating! The Opera
2004: Maria Bamford
2003: Mike Wilmot
2002: Ross Noble
2001: Brian Munich: Brian Munich & Friends
2000: The Boosh: Artic Boosh
1999: Sue Ann Post: G Strings and Jockstraps
1998: Linda Haggar and Fahey Younger : Miss Itchy's Crème De Menthe Breakfast Show

The Age Critics' Award
Judged by reviewers from the Melbourne newspaper, and in recent years has been dedicated to the best local act.

2009: Celia Pacquola: Am I Strange?
2008: Sammy J In The Forest Of Dreams
2007: Lawrence Leung Learns To Breakdance
2006: Judith Lucy : I Failed
2005: The Drowsy Drivers : Keating! The Opera
2004: The Kransky Sisters : We Don't Have Husbands
2003: Shared between Paul McDermott, Cameron Bruce and Mick Moriarty for GUD UGH and Denise Scott, Judith Lucy and Lynda Gibson : Comedy Is Still Not Pretty
2002: Ross Noble
2001: Brian Munich : Brian Munich & Friends

The Melbourne Airport Best Newcomer Award

2009: Tom Ballard Is What He Is
2008: Fear Of A Brown Planet (Nazeem Hussain and Aamer Rahman.)
2007: Josh Thomas
2006: Sammy J : Sammy J's 55 Minute National Tour
2005: Christina Adams : To Miss With Love
2004: Shared between The Kransky Sister : We Don't Have Husbands nad Eddie Perfect : Angry Eddie
2003: Flight of the Conchords
2002: Shared between Jim Russell, Marty Sheargold and Aidan Fennessy for The Trade and The Drowsy Drivers : Northcote Country Soul
2001: Shared between Fiona O'Loughlin and Cal Wilson
2000: Shared between Gerard McCulloch and Emma Bathgate

The Golden Gibbo
In memory of Lynda Gibson, who died in 2004, the Golden Gibbo is awarded to a local, independent show that puts art above commerical considerations

2009: The List Operators
2008: Suitcase Royale
2007: The Glass Boat
2006: Greg Bird : Cliffy is Relaxed and Comfortable
2005: The Drowsy Drivers : Keating! The Opera
2004: Shared between Jeremy & Jo Randerson in Carry On Randerson and Eddie Perfect - Angry Eddie

The Piece of Wood Award
The comics' comic, as decided by all the previous winners, it is literally a piece of wood that contains the bite marks of every recipient

2009: Lawrence Mooney
2008: Tom Gleeson
2007: Andy Zaltzman
2006: Shared between Damian Callinan and Fiona O'Loughlin
2005: Tony Law
2004: Andrew McClelland
2003: Justin Hamilton
2002: Michael Chamberlin and Charlie Pickering
2001: Rich Fulcher
2000: Stewart Lee
1999 Simon Munnery
1998 Linda Hagger and Fahey Younger

The Directors' Choice Award
Awarded by festival director Susan Provan in consultation with other visiting festival directors, to a show that 'somehow missed out on any other prize'.

2009: The Bedroom Philosopher: Songs from the 86 Tram
2008: Sam Simmons: Where Can I Win A Bear Around Here?
2007: Justin Hamilton for his trilogy of shows
2006: Shared between Men of Steel and Nick Sun for Blood on the Yolks in the Key of Owls
2005: Tim Minchin: Darkside