Fringe 2025 – Popcorn Writing Awards
The prize is a cash prize with career development support from the Popcorn Group and BBC Writers. The award was presented to the top three writing teams at a ceremony hosted by legendary comedian Miriam Margolyes at the Pleasance Courtyard.
Book Writer & Director Ellie Coote and Composer & Lyricist Jack Godrey from Hot Mess said: 'We're so thrilled to receive the 2025 Popcorn Award. It's a huge honour to have been nominated alongside so many amazing writers at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. It's taken five years, two titles, four versions, and several break ups to write Hot Mess. We couldn't have done it without the unwavering support of Vicky Graham and Birmingham Hippodrome's New Musical Theatre Department, led by Deirdre O'Halloran, who is also our genius dramaturg. A musical about the climate crisis is not necessarily an easy sell and we're so grateful to have the platform to be a part of the conversation in our own silly little way.'
Winning play Hot Mess is a sharp, satirical musical that uses the language of pop, comedy, and
romance to tackle urgent questions about our relationship with the planet. Balancing wit and
poignancy, it reframes the climate crisis as a story of love, betrayal, and resilience, capturing the
Fringe spirit of confronting serious issues with originality and flair.
Second place prize was awarded to Ed Edwards for their show Ordinary Decent Criminal, a
gripping and darkly funny exploration of survival, morality, and justice. Blurring the line between
personal experience and social commentary, the play interrogates how systems of power and
inequality shape the choices people make when the odds are stacked against them.
And third was awarded to Abigail and Shaun Bengson for the show Ohio: The Bengsons, a
powerful, life-affirming music-led journey that confronts the realities of grief and mortality with
candour, humour, and heart. Blending intimate storytelling with soaring song, it transforms
themes of loss into a celebration of resilience and the human capacity for joy, even in the face
of profound sorrow.
A special mention was given to Rodney Black: Who Cares? It's Working by Sadie Pearson.
Popcorn Writing Award Founder, Filmmaker and Artist Charlotte Colbert, said: 'The Fringe
is the perfect grassroots wonderland which births unique and original voices which we so need in
these times.'
All shortlisted playwrights receive one to one development sessions with industry professionals helping them build on their Fringe success.
This year's committee brought together filmmaker and artist Charlotte Colbert, visual artist
Chris Levine, producer Josie Ho, writers Adam Kay, Sophie Petzal and Daragh Carville, actor
Susan Wokoma, and actor–musician Alison Sudol, alongside the team at Popcorn Group and in
consultation with BBC Writers.
Jack Godfrey & Ellie Coote
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