Jessica Barton named best newcomer.

Garry Starr’s Classic Penguins has been named the most outstanding show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award.

The show – which debuted at last year's Edinburgh Fringe – is a rapid-fire compilation of book-based puns performed by Damien Warren-Smith, naked except for an Elizabethan ruff.

Collecting his award, he joked: ‘This is not for best show but for most outstanding – and I stood out because I didn’t wear pants.’

And he called for the festival to welcome more ‘freaks, weirdos and silly-billies’ like him into the programme.

Fellow Gaulier-trained clown act, Jessica Barton, was named best newcomer. The London-based comedian performed her show Dirty Work as a Mary Poppins pastiche called Mary Floppins –  and will be taking it to Underbelly Cowgate during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. 

The People’s Choice Award for the most popular show of the festival, as determined by the number of tickets sold, went to Urzila Carlson for the fourth time.

The Directors’ Choice Award, awarded by the festival director Susan Provan in consultation with festival programming colleagues, was shared between Dan Rath and Noah Szto.

The Pinder Prize, honouring Festival co-founder John Pinder went to Scout Boxall. The award helps them take their show God’s Favourite to an Assembly venue at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Piece of Wood comics’ choice award, selected by past winners and presented to a peer for ‘doin’ good stuff ‘n’ that’ was awarded to Daniel Connell.

The Golden Gibbo – in memory of the lateLynda Gibson – is aimed at finding a local, independent show that pursues the artists’ idea more than it pursues commercial gain. This year, the award went to British comedian Kate Dolan for The Critic in which she gives voice to her not-so-secret inner critic. 

The Funny Tonne for up-and-coming reviewers went to Anna Stewart.

By midnight on Sunday, when the comedy festival wraps up its 26-day run, a total of 7,718 performances will have taken place across 184 spaces and involving more than 1,000 performers. An additional 341 shows were added due to demand.

Also nominated for most outstanding show were  Flo & Joan’s One Man Musical starring George Fouracres, Ahir Shah’s Ends, Olga Koch Comes From Money, Lou Wall’s  Breaking the Fifth Wall, Brett Blake’s Little Turd, Greg Larsen’s Geggy, Rahul Subramanian's Who Are You? and Scout Boxall’s God’s Favourite.

The other best newcomer nominations, limited to Australian and Kiwi acts, were Anisa Nandaula, Ethan Cavanagh, Kura Forrester, Meg Jäger  and Robyn Reynolds.

Published: 19 Apr 2025