RAW COMEDY NATIONAL GRAND FINAL JOSHUA KHOURY WINS TOP PRIZE
- 13 April 2026
- · Festival News
On Sunday 12 April, 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 Fringe Festival 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.
