What the judges had to say

The Good Immigrant – The Truth to Power Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “It’s been ten years since essay anthology The Good Immigrant was released and in those intervening ten years, everything has gotten a lot worse. We are giving this award in recognition of the seminal work The Good Immigrant has done in reframing conversations around immigration in this country, and to recognise how much work we all still have to do in the next ten years, and the next and the next. Congratulations to the team behind The Good Immigrant, winners of The Truth to Power Award! Here to collect the award is Nikesh Shukla, who edited the anthology.”

Dracula Lucy’s Dream – The No Strings Attached Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Here at The Skinny, we love a puppet. And so when it came to awarding a show for its puppetry credentials, which obviously we had to do, Dracula: Lucy’s Dream was an easy call. Plexus Polaire have created a production which showcases the magical possibilities of physical theatre: the ways in which materiality and liveness can be central to the emotional and narrative qualities of a piece. From our review: “Dracula: Lucy’s Dream is both a visual and literary tour-de-force, using astonishing puppetry to frame Lucy’s descent into vampirism as an act of violation and psychological devastation.” Congratulations to Dracula Lucy’s Dream, winners of The No Strings Attached Award!”

Tia Rey: Oot Ma Banger – The Debut Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “There are some comedians you come across who you feel were simply born to do it, and Tia Rey is the perfect example. First trying stand-up in 2024, as well as hosting Too Queer, a comedy night in Glasgow, she is one of the most exciting emerging Scottish talents to burst on to the scene. Her debut hour ‘Oot Ma Banger’ takes us with her on a wild psychedelic journey which she experienced in her twenties, told with the skill and tenacity of a performer who would appear to have been on the circuit for years – decades, even. We’re so excited to see where Tia Rey will go next and how she will develop. And of course, to see her back at the Fringe next year with a brand new hour! Congratulations to Tia Rey, winner of The Debut Award.”

The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight – The Visionary Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Theodore Schafer’s dizzyingly experimental sophomore feature, The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight, recalibrates the very notion of what a film can be. This black-and-white portmanteau triptych acts like a love letter to New York, unfolding as three surreal stories centred on love, money and faith that feel closer to poetry than any straightforward narrative. Schaefer’s filmmaking style is as unpredictable as the plot, and the resulting work is one of the most confident, original and exciting American indies we’ve seen in quite some time. The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight had its world premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Congratulations to the team behind The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight, winners of The Visionary Award. Here to collect the award on their behalf is Lynda Myles.”

T.F. Cia de Dança: Border Bodies – The Outwith Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Part of the Sao Paolo showcase at this year’s festival, Border Bodies is unlike anything we’ve seen before – a frenetic celebration of plurality and collectivity told through meticulous choreography and seven dancers’ bodies. In a time of increasing political and geographical division, it speaks to what is possible when we transcend the borders between us. Congratulations to Border Bodies, the winners of the Outwith Award.”

Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick: Soul Sewage – The Night Owl Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “It’s getting to that part of the Fringe where tiredness is setting in and it takes the rumblings of something special to tempt many a punter to stay out past 11pm. Well, Basil Crumbwick – AKA Sam Eley and his giant papier mâché head – is that something special. Boiling over with “impotent rage”, as Fest’s reviewer put it, Basil Crumbwick is an act worth sacrificing many a good night’s sleep for. Congratulations to Sam Eley, winner of The Night Owl Award.”

Jack Anderson, Charlotte Mclean, Malin Lewis: not for glory – The Collaboration Award

The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “not for glory meets at the crossroads between dance, theatre, gig and comedy, as well as therapy for those who have survived the youth competition culture of the traditional arts world. In it, dancers Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean and piper Malin Lewis bind together their pasts in order to examine the interaction between passion, reward, and memory. The show has a genuinely unique point of view – Fest reviewer Eilidh Akilade singled it out for its “thoughtful dissection of heritage and all its complexities” and “empowered disregard of tradition for tradition’s sake”. We also loved it for its humour, for the weird and obscure elements of the scene that the trio so generously bring to life for us – after all, bearing witness to these absurd joys is normally the privilege of an exclusive club, one whose membership is earned through years of toil and despair. Congratulations to the team behind not for glory, winners of the Collaboration Award.”

About The Besties

Reflecting the broad and diverse coverage both The Skinny and Fest magazines produce every summer and celebrating the breadth of Edinburgh’s Festivals, The Besties span all the festival activity taking place in the city over the month of August, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Winners of The Besties are chosen each week by the editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest, drawing on their cross-festival expertise to celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. 2026 winners will be announced at weekly ceremonies with the next two taking place on 22 and 29 August.