Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Deadly Funny and RAW winners announced
Over the weekend, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival held the National Grand Finals for two of their popular development programs, RAW COMEDY and DEADLY FUNNY.
‘ONE SILLY RING’ NAMED 2026 DEADLY FUNNY WINNER
Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Deadly Funny National Grand Final took place at Arts Centre Melbourne on Saturday 11 April. Hosted by First Nations comedian (and 2017 Deadly Funny winner) GHENOA GELA, 11 Deadly Funny national finalists took the stage – Arika Appleby (QLD), Cagney Ah-Mat (QLD), Constantina Bush (NT), Daisian Taylor- Milera (SA), Diat Alferink (QLD), Eisha Anderson (SA), Gary Hamaguchi (WA), Birriga (NSW), One Silly Ring (WA), Rene Simpson (QLD) and Sermash Bin Saad (VIC).
One Silly Ring from Western Australia was awarded first place for their unique set, while Gary Hamaguchi (WA) and Birriga (NSW) were given a special commendation.
Deadly Funny is Australia’s only dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedy competition. Part of a suite of development programs created by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival which run year-round, the Deadly Funny competition is dedicated to discovering and amplifying voices from First Nations performers across Australia. Deady Funny has crossed the continent with workshops and regional showcases, unearthing fresh, new comedy voices and yarn-spinners from the oldest culture on earth and presented them to the widest possible audience.
As the winner of Deadly Funny, One Silly Ring joins the ranks of the country’s favourite First Nations comedians including previous winners and alumni Kevin Kropinyeri, Steph Tisdell, Andy Saunders, Janty Blair, Ghenoa Gela, Jalen Sutcliffe and Shiralee Hood, who have all gone on to stellar careers performing around the country.
The 2026 Deadly Funny tour visited 20 locations across the country, delivering workshops to over 70 participants and showcases to hundreds more.
JOSHUA KHOURY WINS RAW COMEDY NATIONAL GRAND FINAL
Last night, the top 13 best new comics from around Australia took to the Melbourne Town Hall stage with their best 5 min set for the RAW Comedy National Grand Final hosted by Luke McGregor.
The line up featured finalists from every state and territory; Aidan Mungai (ACT), Antoine Basseto (QLD), Brandon Duff (NSW), Effie Tan (NSW), Elias Jambula (ACT), Jack Russell (NT), Jake Zukerman (VIC), Jorgia Rice (VIC), Joshua Khoury (NSW), Joshua Pillay (TAS), Lachlan Skinner (WA), Mae McCubbin (VIC) and Tilly Harrison (SA).
With a set ranging from human centipedes to fish soup and even OJ Simpson, Joshua Khoury from NSW had the 1,000+ crowd delivering applause breaks and took out the 2026 RAW Comedy trophy. Special commendations in a close race went to Jorgia Rice and Jake Zukerman from Victoria.
For 30 years, Australia’s largest and most prestigious open mic competition, RAW Comedy, has unearthed emerging comedic talent. For the last three months RAW Comedy has scoured the country for the sharpest original material, bravest jokes, most unexpected punchlines and pure, authentic funny bones. The finalists were selected from almost one thousand budding comedians who registered to compete in the RAW Comedy heats and finals across Australia.
Joshua not only took home the prestigious RAW Comedy title but also secured a coveted opportunity to fly to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to compete in So You Think You’re Funny? and rub shoulders with leading emerging comics from around the world. As part of the national winner prize, Joshua will also receive a studio session with photographer Nick Robertson to kick start their promo portfolio.
The judging panel included high profile comedian Rhys Nicholson who noted that “Australian comedians are feeling extremely threatened by this latest crop of newcomers…. They are way too good!”
RAW Comedy is the country’s premier platform for emerging comedic talent, boasting an impressive list of alumni including Anne Edmonds, Bron Lewis, Ronny Chieng, Tom Ballard, Sam Campbell, Sarah Kendall, Georgie Carroll, Celia Pacquola, Josh Thomas, Hannah Gadsby, Aaron Chen, Rhys Nicholson, Becky Lucas and Joel Creasey, just to name a few.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s development projects also include the Class Clowns.
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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