What the judges had to say

Stanislavski Can’t Save Me From the Apocalypse: The Superpower Agency Award
The young reviewers said, “We really enjoyed this innovative theatre production, set at a kid’s theatre camp in the aftermath of the apocalypse. This is an ambitious show that takes risks with its unconventional structure and pulls them off. They did a lot with a tiny venue, minimal set and a cast who were passionate and talented. The characters were realistic and the show’s depiction of young adult friendship was funny and relatable. A hopeful and meaningful take on a potentially dark subject.”

Ethan and Gigi present The Movement: The Radgie Award
The Skinny/Fest editorial team said: “Ethan and Gigi’s commitment to the bit is what makes this faux so-bad-it’s-good comedy stand out from the rest. A pair of revolutionaries riddled with interpersonal issues but convinced they’re on the brink of an anti-fascist revolutionary movement, the New York clown duo never let you see where they start and the characters end. There are big, insane swings in this show that wears its brashness deceptively lightly; swings that you’re only likely to see at The Fringe.”

Xhloe and Natasha: Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It: Fringe Legends
The Skinny/Fest editorial team said: “It may be early in the 2026 Fringe to declare a legend award, but the judging team could think of no title more fitting for clown duo Xhloe and Natasha. Since their 2022 debut with And Then the Rodeo Burned Down they’ve built a devoted following amongst Fringe-goers in general and the Skinny-Fest teams in particular. This year they’ve returned with their fourth original show, Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It, and it has once again lived up to the hype.” 

Elf Lyons is the woman on the edge: The Heart Award
The Skinny/Fest editorial team said: “The Fringe has practically belonged to Elf Lyons for a while now. Swan was mad; Raven was fit for a King. So to hear, in Elf’s new show, that she had lost herself earlier this year was heart-rending. If someone so singular can lose sight of who they are, what hope is there for the rest of us? By the end of her new hour, there’s no question that that isn’t the case anymore.”

House Fly: The Buzz Award
Fest writer Xuanlin Tham said: “the humble fly is often constituted as nothing more than a filthy pest. Yet carrying on in the grand surrealist tradition of Kafka, Dalí, and also Ratatouille (masterpiece), Tess O’Shea’s House Fly paints the life story of one fly so vividly that the last thing you want to do is swat it away … The buzz is real.”

Eva Peroni – Jungled: Emerging Talent Award
The Skinny/Fest editorial team said: “Eva Peroni is anything if not precocious. The 22-year-old’s debut Fringe hour is crammed with joke after joke, drawing on themes of identity and belonging and remaining sharp and uncompromising throughout. Taking inspiration from her coming-of-age in Costa Rica, the comic probes questions of national identity and Scottishness, with tongue firmly in cheek…” 

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.