Shay Mace
The Queer Performer’s Awards Shortlist for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 has been announced today, with a ceremony in Edinburgh’s Old Town to be held on Wednesday 26th August. All shortlisted acts will be invited.
Shortlisted shows have been selected from our longlist of queer acts reviewed since August 5th, on the basis of their coverage of different themes across the festival and to include a range of emerging and established performers. We wish to issue many thanks to all longlisted acts for adding to the broader conversation of Queer work at the festival.
Our shortlist will now be judged by independent assessors – a panel made up of leading international Fringe Festival Directors and Editors of major publications covering the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Four awards will be given out at the ceremony from the shortlisted acts. We do not label the awards by category or genre.
The Queer New Writing Award will also be awarded at the ceremony, now in its second year, celebrating an outstanding script or devised piece that has been performed in its first iteration at this year’s festival.
Ellen Leslie
Clara Sunset
