Best Comedy Show Given for the most outstanding up-and-coming, funny, original, comedy show or act at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The prize is £10,000.

Best Newcomer This Award is for the performer or act who is performing their first full-length show (50 minutes or more) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The winner will receive a cheque for £5,000. Please note that newcomers are eligible for the Best Comedy Show Award, if that is the Panel's decision, but no act can appear on both shortlists in the same year.

The shortlists will be announced on Wednesday 25th August 2010.

Panel Prize This new Award celebrates the show or act who has most captured the comedy spirit of the 2010 Fringe. Like the Fringe itself, there are no rules. Everyone is eligible and there is no shortlist. It is entirely in the gift of the Panel. The prize is a cheque for £5,000.

The winners of all three Awards will be announced on Saturday 28th August 2010

Eligibility Rules

1. The show must have opened by Thursday 19th August 2010 and have at least eight public performances between Thursday 19th August and Friday 27th August 2010 including Wednesday 25th, Thursday 26th & Friday 27th August. If the show opened prior to 19th August, then only five performances need to be performed between 19th and 27th August and at least two of these must be after the shortlist is announced.

2. For both the Edinburgh Best Comedy and Best Newcomer award, the show must be stand-up, character comedy, sketch/revue, comedy musical or cabaret. The material must be unique to the performer / show. Comedy plays are not eligible. Comedy music acts are eligible, but must be performing their own material, not cover numbers, although pastiche and rewriting is eligible. Bill shows are not eligible but where individual acts combine into a single show which is fully inter-relating, it will be judged on overall merit, not on an individual basis. Established acts should have substantially new material since the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009. Performing other people's material e.g. classic Frankie Howard or Bill Hicks, etc. is not eligible. For the avoidance of doubt, 'unique' means material written by the act and their collaborators (co-writer, director, etc).

3. BEST COMEDY SHOW
Acts considered to have 'star' status are not eligible for the Edinburgh Best Comedy Award. For the purposes of this Award a 'star' is defined as any act who has starred in a television comedy or light entertainment series on terrestrial television or regularly fills a 500-plus seat venue on their own name. For the avoidance of doubt, terrestrial television channels are defined as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5; digital channels such as BBC3 , BBC4 or ITV2 are therefore eligible. One-off or 'guest' appearances in a television comedy or light entertainment series or appearing in shows as a panel member where your name is not above the title do not disqualify an act. Please note that these rules apply to all shows including international acts, where the status in their home countries will apply. For the avoidance of doubt, where any grey areas occur, the live rule will be dominant.

4. BEST NEWCOMER SHOW
Acts considered for the Newcomer Award is any performer/act who is performing their first full-length show (50 minutes or more) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A performer who has appeared in a previous show at the Edinburgh Festival as part of a sketch show or an international performer who is not a star in their own country but who may be a seasoned performer is eligible. If a performer was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award as part of a group then subsequently presents a solo show for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe they are eligible for the Newcomer Award.

5. All shows for both awards must have a playing time of at least 50 minutes.

6. Previous winners of the Awards formerly called the Perrier Award and Intelligent Finance Comedy Award are not eligible.