All About Awards
While Fringe is focused on fostering a welcoming and supportive community rather than competition, awards can still help boost a production’s future success. As such, the Fringe Award Ceremony takes place on the last day of the festival (June 30, 2025).
We offer two types of awards:
- Community Awards: Recognizing standout productions voted on by the Fringe community.
- Sponsored Awards: Presented by external sponsors, often highlighting specific achievements or themes.
These awards celebrate artistic excellence while maintaining the spirit of collaboration and support.
COMMUNITY AWARDS
The Community Awards, known as “The Freaks,” are voted on by the Fringe community and celebrate standout shows in various categories (Ensemble Theatre, Comedy, etc.). Awards also include Best International, Fringe First for world premieres, and Top of the Fringe, the highest honor for the most beloved show. Since 2021, the Digital Innovation Award has been added for groundbreaking digital performances.
Fringe participants, venue managers, and audience members who meet certain criteria (e.g., attending or reviewing a set number of shows) receive ballots via email in the festival's final days. Nominees are announced hours before the ceremony, and winners are revealed during the awards event.
DISCOVER FRINGE AWARDS (formerly known as Sponsored Awards)
Discover Fringe Awards are presented by outside organizations to commend excellence in a number of categories. These awards tend to be more specific than the community awards and may include monetary gifts or an extension to a show's run.
Winners are announced at the awards ceremony along with the community awards.
A list of awards are posted here each year about a week before the Festival.
Are you an organization interested in presenting an award? Read all about the benefits of joining our industry program, presenting an award and the requirements to do so.