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Please note: The information in this resource reflects the Adelaide Fringe 2026 season. We are currently reviewing this information for the 2027 season. In the meantime, please use the information below as a guide. 

 

 

The Adelaide Fringe Awards are a fantastic way to celebrate the incredible talent and diverse shows that light up our festival each year. These accolades can open doors for your future projects and enhance your artistic journey. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about participating in the awards program, from opting in to understanding the judging process.

Contents

 

Introduction

The Adelaide Fringe Awards are a celebration of the diverse and wonderful shows presented throughout the festival season. We have weekly awards announced every week of the festival, and overall awards presented at a special in-person ceremony at the end of the festival. Winners are announced on Adelaide Fringe's social media channels and to over 100,000 Fringe eNews subscribers. These awards are highly sought after, and the recognition can certainly help carry you forward to all your future projects, prospects, and events.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for an Adelaide Fringe Award, you only need to have a performance before midnight March 20th. After this date, voting will close for judges. There are no minimum number of performances required. As long as you have ONE performance before March 20th, you will be eligible for both weekly and overall Genre Awards.

An event is ineligible if it has previously won an overall genre award (e.g. Overall Best Comedy Award). A show is still eligible if the artist has previously won an overall genre award for a different show. 

An event is also ineligible if it contains a rotating line-up, unless registered is in the Variety genre. This is outlined in the Awards section of AVR when opting in to the program. If it is outside of the Variety genre, it is difficult for our judges to give clear judgement when comparing it to shows that remain consistent throughout their season. Our Variety judges are clearly briefed before they begin to consider the nature of roating line-ups within their genre.

Many awards each have their own individual eligibility (e.g. the Youth Award must have 50% or more creatives under the age of 25 involved, Mental Health Awareness Award must have themes of mental health). If you'd like to know the eligibility of a specific award, please email the Awards team.

 

Opting In

To be considered for the Awards program, your show needs to opt-in via your AVR event registration before Monday 12th January and meet eligibility criteria. When registering your event in AVR, you must opt-in to participate. You can opt-in during or after your registration is complete by navigating to the "Awards" page of your show registration, but you must be opted in by the awards deadline. If you're having any difficulties, please email awards@adelaidefringe.com.au

By opting into the Awards program, you permit Adelaide Fringe to allocate up to eight (8) complimentary tickets (or sixteen (16) for shows in the Kids & Family genre) across the whole season to judges for your eligible event. If Adelaide Fringe requires more tickets than this allocation, they will be purchased as regular tickets via Adelaide Fringe Ticketing.

 

List of Awards

Where possible, individual eligibility criteria and prize packages have been provided. The list below serves as a guide and is subject to change. Some awards are presented weekly while others are presented at our overall ceremony.

Emerging Awards

  • Best Emerging Producer, Presented By MILKE (overall)
    Open to emerging producers who have opted into the awards program. Chosen by MILKE for those with longevity potential and aptitude for growth. Prize pack includes 6 months of producing mentoring with Executive Producer Laura Milke Garner.
  • One to Watch Award, Presented by Matt Tarrant (overall)
    Open to all Adelaide Fringe 2027 registered shows who have opted into the awards program. Chosen by Matt Tarrant, this award includes a $2,000 prize package and 6 months of professional mentorship to help artists build sustainable careers.
  • Adelaide Fringe Emerging Artist Award (weekly and overall)
    Open to artists, shows, and companies in their first 5 years of practice who have opted into this award. The award highlights the up-and-coming artists presenting fresh and innovative new work, with a $1,000 cash prize for the overall winner.

Touring Awards

  • The FRINGE WORLD Tour Ready Award (Perth) (overall)
    Open to South Australian artists/companies ready to tour to FRINGE WORLD. Prize includes (but not limited to) a cash prize and free registration.
  • The Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award (overall)
    Open to South Australian artists/companies ready to tour to the Melbourne Fringe. Prize includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, free registration, and marketing support.
  • The Sydney Fringe Tour Ready Award (overall)
    Open to South Australian artists/companies ready to tour to Sydney Fringe. Prize includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, free registration, free venue hire, and marketing support.
  • The NZ Fringe Festival Wellington Tour Ready Award (overall)
    Open to South Australian artists/companies ready to tour to NZ Fringe. Prize includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, free registration, financial contribution to accommodation costs, venue and programming support, and marketing support.
  • The Fiji Fringe Tour Ready Award (overall)
    Open to Australian artists/companies ready to tour to Fiji Fringe. Prize includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, and free venue hire.
  • Edinburgh Fringe Award, presented by CreateSA (overall)
    Open to South Australian artists/companies going to or planning to go to Edinburgh Fringe. This award provides financial support for touring costs.
  • The Hollywood Fringe Tour Ready Award (overall)
    Open to Australian artists/companies who are ready to tour to Hollywood Fringe. Prize package includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, free registration, venue, and marketing support.

Community Awards

  • Carclew Creative Youth Award (overall)
    Open to an artist or group under 25 years old. Presented for exceptional work by artists under the age of 25, with a $1,000 cash prize.
  • Cultural Diversity Award (weekly and overall)
    Open to artists or groups who identify as cultural and/or linguistically diverse. This award recognises work that makes an impact on communities.
  • Sustainability Award (overall)
    Open to shows with sustainability themes. Awarded to a show that takes responsibility for its environmental impact and engages audiences in sustainable practices, with a $1,000 cash prize.
  • Access Award (overall)
    Awarded to an exceptional event or venue for providing outstanding accessibility services or demonstrating a lived experience of disability. Includes a $1,000 cash prize.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (overall)
    Open to artists, shows, and companies who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Celebrates leadership, talent, and positive influence, with a $2,000 cash prize.
  • 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.

Philanthropic Awards

  • Adelaide Fringe Pride Award presented by The Umbrella Collective
    Open to all Australian artist/company that champions LGBTQIA+ work or representation. Prize package includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, 2026 Feast Festival registration, mentorship, and marketing support.
  • Take a Chance on Adelaide Award, Presented by Ray & Conrad Henley-Calvert 
    Open to first-time Adelaide Fringe performers outside of South Australia. This award recognises a standout show and supports the return of performers the following year at Adelaide Fringe. Prize includes $1,000 cash and free registration upon registering for the Adelaide Fringe 2027 season.
  • John Chataway Innovation Award 
    Celebrates the achievements of artists who show great innovation in their practice, with a $2,000 cash prize.
  • The Frank Ford Award
    Open to South Australian Artists/Companies. Celebrates an SA artist who has made an impact on the industry locally. The $20,000 prize money supports international touring opportunities for the artist.
  • Sarah Rohrsheim Fellowship Award
    Open to all Adelaide Fringe 2027 registered shows. Celebrates Adelaide Fringe on a global scale. This award assists a registered Adelaide Fringe artist with the cost of presenting their work in territories of their choice over the following year.
  • The Eran Svigos Award for Best Visual Art 
    Open to solo exhibitionists registered under the Visual Arts & Design genre. Honours the most outstanding Visual Arts Exhibition by an individual at Adelaide Fringe, with a $2,000 cash prize.
  • The Marjorie Fitz-Gerald Encouragement Award for Costuming
    Open to South Australian artists/companies. For those most creative with costuming, with a $1,000 cash prize.
  • Award for Excellence in Poetry, presented by Mary Walker OAM
    This award honours an exceptional writer celebrating poetry within their perforance, honoring their talent and dedication to the art of poetry and spoken word, with a cash prize.

Industry Awards

  • Adelaide Critics Circle Award 
    Chosen by the Adelaide Critics Circle, representing the city's performing and visual arts critics.
  • Holden Street Theatres Adelaide Fringe Award 
    Chosen by Holden Street Theatres. 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 
    Open to shows that contain science/STEM themes. Recognises events that inspire audiences with science/STEM within the work.
  • Guildhouse Artists Choice Award presented by Guildhouse 
    Open to shows registered under the Visual Arts & Design genre within Australia.
  • Artform Shaker Award supported by Theatre Network Australia
    Open to artists registered in Cabaret, Circus, Dance and Theatre & Physical Theatre. This award recognuses a production or work that champions leadership or innovation in equity, justice, inclusion and care, making the performing arts a better place to be.
  • Feast Festival Queer Arts Award
    Open to all Australian artists/companies ready to present LGBTQIA+ work in Feast Festival - South Australia’s flagship LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festival. Prize package includes (but not limited to) a cash prize, 2027 Feast Festival registration, mentorship, and marketing support.

Best in Genre Awards

These awards are presented each week of the festival, with an overall award also presented at the Adelaide Fringe Awards Ceremony at the end of the festival season (unless stated otherwise).

  • Adelaide Fringe Best Cabaret Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Circus Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Comedy Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Dance Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Film & Digital + Interactive Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Eat & Drink Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Event, Workshops & Talks Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Kids & Family Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Magic Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Music Award (weekly and overall)
  • Best of Street Award (weekly and overall) Open to Street Performers registered with Adelaide Fringe. 
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Theatre & Physical Theatre Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Visual Art & Design Award (weekly and overall)
  • Adelaide Fringe Best Variety Award (weekly and overall)
  • Pick of the Week (weekly only)
  • BankSA Pick of the Fringe (overall only)

 

Judging Process

In 2026, we had over 400 judges for more than 1,100 eligible events. Our judging panel comprises 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, with careful consideration given to all applications. The final panel is chosen based on their knowledge, experience, and passion. While we aim to have all eligible events attended by a judge, we cannot guarantee that your specific event will be seen.

The Tickets

You allocate eight (8) "Awards Comp" tickets for your show to be part of the program. There are several ways a judge might see your show:

  • Booking an Awards Comp ticket through Adelaide Fringe.
  • Using their Adelaide Fringe pass (if applicable, for artists, staff, Honey Pot, venue, etc.) and entering the event only after all paying audience members have entered.
  • Purchasing a ticket through Adelaide Fringe as a general audience member.

You'll only see the Awards Comp tickets on your door list, so this alone isn't a definitive indicator of whether a judge has attended your show.

 

Announcements & Ceremony

Weekly Awards are announced every Thursday across Adelaide Fringe's social media channels. Winners will be notified via email and sent assets to help them celebrate their win.

The Awards Ceremony takes place on the final day of the festival. This is where our overall and specialty awards are announced. All participants are invited to RSVP via email until allocation is exhausted. The exact time, location, and further details for this event will be confirmed and announced mid-festival.

 

Contact Us

We have a dedicated Awards team ready to assist you with any questions. Our operating hours are 9 am - 5 pm (Adelaide time), with extended opening hours during the festival season.

 

Summary

  • The Adelaide Fringe Awards celebrate incredible shows and offer valuable recognition for artists.
  • To participate, you must opt-in via your AVR event registration and ensure your show meets eligibility criteria.
  • You can opt-in after your registration is complete, but you need to have opted-in by the awards deadline.
  • Weekly awards are announced every Thursday on social media, while overall awards are presented at a special ceremony on the festival's final day.
  • The judging process involves a panel of industry professionals and audience members.