PLEASE NOTE the list of confirmed awards will be available closer to the 2025 Adelaide Fringe season, and are subject to change.
Table of contents
- How to be considered for an award
- What are the awards?
- Eligibility
- Judging
- How to judges decide what to see?
- How come judges are booked into my preview?
- What to do if a judge misses your session
- Can I get feedback from the judges?
How to be considered for an award
If you wish participate you must OPT IN when registering your event in AVR. To check whether you have opted-in, navigate to the "Awards" page of your registration. After this date all eligible events will be presented to the judges panel to give them time to map out their timetables, therefore no further events will be accepted into the program after this date.
By opting into the Awards program you permit Adelaide Fringe to allocate up to eight (8) complimentary tickets across the whole season to judges for your eligible event. If Adelaide Fringe requires more tickets, then they will be purchased the same as regular tickets via FringeTIX.
What are the awards?
We are currently in the process of confirming the awards for our 2025 Adelaide Fringe season. The below should be used as a guide, and are subject to change:
Genre Awards (weekly and overall)
- Best Cabaret Award
- Best Circus Award
- Best Comedy Award
- Best Dance Award
- Best Film & Digital or Interactive Award
- Best Events, Workshops & Talks, Eat & Drink Award
- Best Kids & Family Award
- Best Magic Award
- Best Music Award
- Best Theatre & Physical Theatre Award
- Best Variety Award (new for 2025!)
- Best Visual Art & Design Award
- Pick of the Week (weekly)
- Pick of the Fringe (overall only)
Touring Awards (overalls)
- Edinburgh Fringe Award, Presented by Arts SA
- The Fringe World Tour Ready Award, Presented by Fringe World Perth
- The Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award, Presented by Melbourne Fringe
- NZ Fringe Festival Wellington Tour Ready Award
- The Sydney Fringe Tour Ready Award, Presented by Sydney Fringe
- Sarah Rohrsheim Fellowship Award
- The Frank Ford Award
Mentorship Awards (overalls):
Best Emerging Producer, Presented By Milke
MILKE is keen to find emerging producers who will have longevity in the industry who are commiteed and showing great aptitude for growth. You get a fancy award to put on your shelf, an award credit for your CV, PLUS – Six months of producing mentoring with our Executive Producer Laura Milke Garner (as a bonus- we will be your cheerleader for life as you pursue a career in producing!)
One to Watch Award, Presented by Matt Tarrant
Matt Tarrant is one of the most awarded and highest selling success stories of the Adelaide Fringe across the last decade. In this time, he has performed and produced multiple award-winning seasons both at the Adelaide Fringe, and globally – and throughout this time has learnt how to create a successful act from the ground up. He now mentors and supports artists across the globe to create successful businesses within the Arts. The winner of this award will receive a prize of $2000 and a 6 month professional mentorship with Matt Tarrant to work on their current project or new project and look at the ways they can build a sustainable production careers.
Themes & Specialist Awards (overalls):
John Chataway Innovation Award
In memory of John Chataway, Deputy Chairperson on the Adelaide Fringe Board who sadly passed away in 2010. John was an accomplished Director who specialized in creative strategies for combining digital technologies with a broad range of communication channels.
Adelaide Critics Circle Award
The Adelaide Critics Circle represents the united force of the city's performing and visual arts critics. Adelaide critics – the Scribblers in the Dark - are a rare breed, uniquely skilled in their art through their exposure to the city's long history as home to famous arts festivals, and the extraordinary creativity of the arts and artists in the state of South Australia.
Take a Chance on Adelaide Award, Presented by Ray & Conrad Henley-Calvert
The Take a Chance on Adelaide Award recognises a standout show for first-time Adelaide Fringe performers. The Award supports the return of the performers the following year at Adelaide Fringe and encourages and supports artists to build on their first Adelaide Fringe experience and grow audiences year on year. The award is supported by Fringe Fans and Adelaide Fringe Donor Circle supporters Ray and Conrad Henley-Calvert.
Holden Street Theatres Adelaide Fringe Award
The Holden Street Theatres Fringe Award offers an emerging South Australian Artist or theatre company four weeks of free rental at Holden Street Theatres for rehearsal, development, or performance.
Science at the Fringe Award, Presented by Inspiring SA
Inspiring South Australia is about connecting the community with science and improving science literacy. During Adelaide Fringe, Inspiring SA collate at Science at the Fringe Guide for anyone who likes to discover and learn amazing things about the world. We’ve compiled a concoction of the curious, amazing, fascinating and ingenious science-themed show at this year’s Adelaide Fringe. The Award recognises the event that most inspires audiences with science / STEM within the work.
Adelaide Festival Centre's InSPACE Award
The Adelaide Festival Centre’s inSPACE Fringe Award is given to the best new and innovative work by a South Australian independent artist/collective. Awarded to an SA premier event.
Mental Health Awareness Award presented by mindshare
mindshare's vision is to foster a creative dialogue between people with lived experience of mental illness and the wider community to combat stigma and increase awareness; and to seek and promote the creative works of those with lived experience, mental health consumers, carers and workers.
The Eran Svigos Award for Best Visual Art
In memory of Eran Svigos, an extraordinary creative force, the Eran Svigos Award acknowledges the most outstanding Visual Arts Exhibition by an individual at Adelaide Fringe. It was established in 2009 and has been presented each year since to acknowledge great talent and support artists with their future exhibitions and growth. A Bachelor of Visual Arts graduate, Eran co-founded Brompton Palace Art School and designed the costumes and street decorations for the Adelaide Fringe Parade as well as being an exhibiting artist at a number of Adelaide Fringe festivals. Eran also co-founded the internationally successful jewellery company Palas while she concurrently served on the South Australia Youth Arts Board. The winner for this award receives an Adelaide Fringe statuette and $2000 generously donated by the Svigos and Dimond families to contribute to their future work and exhibitions as they develop or refine their careers as exhibiting artists.
Adelaide Fringe Access Award
This is awarded to either an event or a venue. It can be for an exceptional work by an artist or group with a lived experience of disability (events that have self-identified as living with a disability will have the Disability Pride Flag on their online listing) or a venue that is showing that they are providing outstanding accessibility services (wheelchair accessibility, Auslan interpretation, Audio Description, Relaxed Performances, Quiet Rooms, Signage for visually impaired patrons, accessible stages etc.)
Adelaide Fringe Youth Award
This award is presented for an exceptional work by an individual artist or group under the age of 25.
Cultural Diversity Award presented by the Australian Refugee Association
This award is presented for an exceptional work by an individual artist or group who identify as cultural and / or linguistically diverse.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award
This award is presented for an exceptional work by an individual artist or group who identify as Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander
Sustainability Award, Presented by Visualcom
Presented by Visualcom this is awarded to an event that takes responsibility for their environmental impact and invites the audience to engage with sustainable practices.
Adelaide Fringe Emerging Artist Award (weekly and overall)
This award aims to highlight the lesser-known, undiscovered gems within the Fringe program and supports an artist(s) presenting fresh and innovative new work, who are in the early stages of their artistic career(s) usually first five yeasr of practice.
Adelaide Fringe Spirit of the Fringe Award (weekly)
Awarded to an Adelaide Fringe participant to recognise their commitment, dedication, tenacity, and passion for the Adelaide Fringe and our Values & Manifesto
Eligibility
A show is not eligible to enter the awards program if it has previously won an Adelaide Fringe Overall Genre Award, or Pick of the Fringe Award.
NOTE: This applies to the SHOW only, not the artists involved or brand new shows with the same name.
Best Genre Awards:
- Must not have a changing line up of artists from session to session, unless you're in the VARIETY genre - e.g. game show, variety show, comedy line up show, different headlining music act each night
Touring Opportunity Awards:
- Event must be tour-ready by the end of the 2025 Adelaide Fringe season
- The final winning recipients are chosen by those companies / organisations / individuals presenting and / or sponsoring these awards.
Mentorship Awards:
- Eligibility will vary between these awards, as they provide different opportunities
- Recipients are chosen by the individuals presenting / sponsoring the awards - e.g. "One to Watch Award", presented by Matt Tarrant, "Best Emerging Producer" presented by Milke, etc.
Participant Awards:
- A creative, or more than 50% of the creatives identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- Must opt-in to be considered for this award
- A creative, or more than 50% of creatives, are under 25 years old
- Must opt-in to be considered for this award
- Must be within the first five (5) years of their practice
- Must opt-in to be considered for this award
Sustainability Award:
- Event contains environmental / sustainability themes
Access Award
- Creative or more than 50% of creatives have lived experience of disability
John Chataway Innovation Award:
- Event must be boundary pushing either technologically or in the form
Judging
The Judges:
In 2024 we had almost 250 judges, across 900+ eligible events.
Our judging panel are made up of local, national, and international industry professionals, Honey Pot delegates, Adelaide Fringe staff, and seasoned audience members. Adelaide Fringe Awards Program judges are selected via an application process. Adelaide Fringe carefully consider all applications, and the final panel is selected on the basis of their knowledge, experience, and passion.
The Tickets:
While we do have an Awards Comp ticket option, there are several ways a judge could see your show
- Booking an Awards Comp ticket through FringeTIX
- Using their Adelaide Fringe pass (if applicable - artist, staff, Honey Pot, venue, etc.) and entering the event only after all paying audience members have entered
- Purchasing a ticket through FringeTIX as a general audience member
This means a judge may not appear on your door list under an Awards Comp ticket.
While we endeavour to have all events attended by a judge we cannot guarantee that your event will be seen.
The Criteria:
Judging is done via a survey process. The top-picks of the weekly and overall awards are then discussed at weekly judges meetings.
Assessment criteria is as follows:
- Did the show have a WOW factor?
- Will this show stay with you, and would you recommend it to a friend?
- Did it align with the Adelaide Fringe Values and Manifestos?
- Was the audience engaged?
- Did it bring something unique and special to the festival?
- Would you recommend this show for an award, and why?
How do judges decide what to see?
Judges are presented with an eligible shows list prior to the opening week of the festival. They then select the shows to see based on their availability. Judges are encouraged to see anything and everything, and embrace the incredible experiences our full program has to offer.
If you wish to encourage judges along to your event, please email awards@adelaidefringe.com.au and it will be passed on to the panel.
How come judges are booked into my preview?
Unlike media tickets, judges are permitted to attend previews. This is for a couple of reasons - to ensure as much as possible is seen in time for the week one award deliberations, and to ensure that as they see as many shows as possible who have opted into the awards. Without being able to attend previews, many shows would miss out on having a judge attend.
All judges will be briefed about preview sessions as follows:
You may judge a show that is in preview, but please appreciate that the show may still be in development and understand that everything may not go well on the night. Look for the potential in the show rather than judge at face value. If you are uncertain how to assess this, please avoid attending previews.
If you DO NOT want judges to attend your preview sessions, please contact awards@adelaidefringe.com.au ASAP so we can remove the Awards Comp ticketing option from these sessions. Please note that we cannot guarantee all events will be seen by judges, so the more sessions you have available, the higher your chance of being seen is. If you have had a judge attend a preview session and do not believe it was an accurate representation of your work, please contact us so we can take this into account during assessment. If this occurs and you wish the judges comments to be discarded altogether, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to get judges to attend later in your season.
A judge missed a session and didn't come to my event - what do I do?
As per the above there are several ways a judge can attend a session, so they may not always be under an Awards Comp ticket, and even if they book one they may not have been ticked off on your door list for a number of reasons.
If you believe a judge has missed the session they booked, please contact awards@adelaidefringe.com.au IMMEDIATELY so that we can investigate and, if possible, find another judge to attend another session. Do not wait until after your season is over to let us know.
Can I get feedback from the judges about my event?
Judges’ comments are for the purpose of judging only. These will not be made available to presenters or creatives.
For any questions regarding the awards please contact: awards@adelaidefringe.com.au
Photo credit: Adelaide Fringe Award Ceremony. Photo: Jack Timberlake, 2024
Photo description: The image is a wide-shot of the awards ceremony. There is a full audience , with a view of the stage in the background. There is a live band and an MC on stage, and a large screen where the winners names are displayed.