By Grace Hatchell
The List Festival Awards has revealed its 2026 shortlists, celebrating some of the artists and productions that have made their mark across Edinburgh’s festivals this summer.
Returning for a third year, the awards cover Art, Book, Film, the International Festival and, of course, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the winners set to be revealed at W Edinburgh on Friday 28 August.
And what a lovely position to be in.
After weeks of performing, flyering, reviewing, running between venues and somehow surviving Edinburgh in August, a group of artists can now say: we made the shortlist.
That matters.
But it also got me thinking about something else.
What can happen next?
First, let’s have a look at who is in the running.
Best Cabaret Show sees Andrew Frost: Just Let Me Have This shortlisted alongside Liberace And Liza: A Tribute and Sarah Hester Ross: Serving C*nt.
The Best Comedy Show shortlist brings together Alfie Brown: The Entertainer, Elf Lyons Is The Woman On The Edge and Conk: Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour.
Yes, that really is the title.
And frankly, at a festival where thousands of shows are competing for your attention, you’ve got to admire a title that tells you exactly what you’re getting.
Collaborator, EXIT and not for glory make up the shortlist for Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre Show, while Boys Don’t Dance, Float and Max Fulham’s Monkey Business are competing for Best Kids Show.
For Best LGBTQIA+ Show, the final three are Turn Your F*cking Phones Off, Megasquirt: Fully Loaded and Big Gay Afterparty.
Then there’s Best Show From Adelaide, where My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram, DUST and Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy) have been shortlisted.
Now, Theatre Village readers might recognise one of those.
DUST, Charlaina Thompson’s true story dedicated to the seven men who died in the Lofthouse Colliery disaster of 1973 and to the miners who spent their lives working underground, has found itself among the final three.
We love seeing a show we’ve encountered during the Fringe continuing to pick up recognition.
And this is where I started looking beyond Friday’s ceremony.
Winning an award is a moment to celebrate. So is being shortlisted. Somebody has seen your work, remembered it among hundreds of other productions and decided that it deserves recognition.
At the Edinburgh Fringe, though, sometimes that recognition can also become a doorway.
Take the International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize.
It seeks emerging artists who demonstrate exceptional artistic and commercial talent, with winning shows offered an extended run Off-Broadway at SoHo Playhouse in New York.
Edinburgh to New York.
That’s not a bad answer to the question, “What happens after the Fringe?”
Previous recipients include Henry Naylor’s Afghanistan Is Not Funny, Milo McCabe’s Troy Hawke: Sigmund Troy’d and Xhloe & Natasha’s A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson Or God: Whoever Reads This First.
There’s another interesting example this year with the launch of the McTavish Award.
Created by The Stand Comedy Club in partnership with The List and The Comedy Unit, it will recognise the most outstanding show by a Scottish or Scottish-based act.
The winner receives £2,500, a Fringe run or tour through The Stand’s venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle, plus development mentoring with The Comedy Unit for television or radio.
The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 27 August.
And I think that’s rather exciting.
Because we spend August talking about what is happening right now.
Who’s getting the reviews? Who’s selling out? Who has people talking? Who has picked up an award?
But the Fringe has always had another story running underneath all of that.
What happens next?
A show that arrived in Edinburgh might leave with an award. It might leave with a new audience. It might tour. It might find people who want to develop it further. And, in the case of the International Fringe Encore Series, it might find itself heading all the way to New York.
The List says it reviews approximately 400 shows across Edinburgh’s festivals, which gives some idea of just how much work is being seen during August.
Editor Brian Donaldson describes this year’s shortlists as only a sample of the incredible work being performed, screened, exhibited and spoken about across Edinburgh.
There’s even a lovely story behind the laurels themselves this year.
Students from Edinburgh College’s HND Visual Communication course have individually designed each one, giving emerging designers the opportunity to contribute directly to one of the festival season’s major industry celebrations.
So when the winners are announced at W Edinburgh on Friday, I hope they enjoy every second of it.
Get the photograph. Celebrate the achievement. Put that laurel somewhere everybody can see it.
You’ve earned the moment.
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