The List Festival Awards 2025: Celebrating Outstanding Creativity at the Edinburgh Festivals

Hamish Halley, Michael Mullen, Pussy Riot and More Among This Year’s Winners

Winners have been announced for The List Festival Awards 2025, in partnership with Johnnie Walker Princes Street, following a vibrant summer across Edinburgh’s arts, book, film and fringe festivals. Now in its second year, the awards continue to honour excellence and originality across a spectrum of categories from rising Scottish talent to standout Fringe performances.

The winners were revealed at a ceremony on 22 August at The Label Studio, with Michael Pedersen and Gemma Cairney hosting.

2025 Award Winners

Art & Books

• Best Rising Scottish Artist: Hamish Halley – Please Keep (The People’s Story Museum)
  A video installation blending intimate memory and institutional change.

• Best Rising Scottish Author: Michael Mullen – Goonie
  A joyful, lyrical debut exploring queerness and Scottish identity through spoken word.

Film & International

• Best Scottish Film: Reality Is Not Enough by Paul Sng
  A layered and playful tribute to author Irvine Welsh.

• Best International Show: Mary, Queen of Scots, Scottish Ballet
  A punk-infused, haute couture reimagining of two iconic monarchs.

Edinburgh Fringe Categories

• LGBTQIA+ Award: KINDER by Ryan Stewart (Underbelly Cowgate)
  A drag artist's unraveling leads to a powerful exploration of memory and identity.

• Best Dance, Circus & Physical Theatre: Small Town Boys by Shaper/Caper (Zoo Southside)
  A community-driven tribute to the Paradise Nightclub.

• Best Comedy Show: Christbride by Bebe Cave (Pleasance Dome)
  A hilariously anachronistic tale of a medieval mystic.

• Best Kids Show: Funz & Gamez Rebootz by Phil Ellis (Monkey Barrel)
  The cult hit returns with wild new antics for all ages.

• Best Show from Adelaide: Smile – The Story of Charlie Chaplin by Marcel Cole (Pleasance Courtyard)
  A dynamic solo performance chronicling Chaplin’s iconic journey.

• Sit-Up Award: Body Count by Issy Knowles (Pleasance Courtyard)
  A fierce one-woman show reframing narratives around sex work and societal judgement.

• International Fringe Encore Series Edinburgh Prize: Hot Mess by James Ashfield (Pleasance Courtyard)
  A breakup musical between Earth and Humanity that’s as unhinged as it is heartfelt.

• Spirit of the Fringe Award: Pussy Riot (Summerhall)
  The legendary protest collective presented Riot Days (Revolution), blending theatre, punk, and activism.

Supporting Creativity with Impact

Each winner received a £500 cash prize. The Sit-Up Award winner received £5,000 and a spot in the Fringe Encore Series, while Hot Mess earned a fully supported Off-Broadway run at New York’s SoHo Playhouse, including accommodation and travel.

The List Festival Awards continue to celebrate not only artistic excellence but the power of live performance to spark dialogue, shift narratives and bring communities together across the globe.