Each year at Hollywood Fringe, we celebrate the end of the festival with our Awards Ceremony and Closing Night Party (this year, it’s the evening of June 29th at Los Angeles LGBT Center!) Two types of awards are given out: Community Awards (“The Freaks”) & Discover Fringe Awards (formerly Sponsored Awards). Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about each type of award!

COMMUNITY AWARDS: 

The Community Awards are determined by the Fringe community via a voting process. Fringe community members receive ballots in the last days of the festival via email. The productions with the most votes in a given category are announced as nominees hours prior to the ceremony via an email newsletter and website post, and the ultimate winners are revealed at the awards ceremony.

Who gets to vote on Community Awards? You will receive a ballot via email at the end of the festival to vote on Community Awards if you (1) are an HFF26 participant or venue manager added to a specific HFF26 project OR (2) reserve tickets for 3 or more shows on the Hollywood Fringe website OR (3) write 3 or more reviews for HFF26 shows.

Categories for HFF26 Community Awards:

Top of the Fringe Award 2026 

Fringe International Award 2026 

Fringe First for World Premiere 2026 

Fringe Award for Cabaret & Burlesque 2026 

Fringe Award for Clown & Alternative Comedy 2026 

Fringe Award for Comedic Theatre 2026 

Fringe Award for Comedy & Variety Acts 2026

Fringe Award for Dance & Physical Theatre 2026

Fringe Award for Dramatic Theatre 2026 

Fringe Award for Immersive & Games 2026

Fringe Award for Musicals & Operas 2026 

Fringe Award for Solo Theatre 2026

 

DISCOVER FRINGE AWARDS:

Discover Fringe Awards are presented by outside organizations to commend excellence in a number of categories. These awards tend to be more specific than the community awards and may include monetary gifts or an extension to a show’s run. Hollywood Fringe participants must submit themselves for consideration, and winners are announced at the awards ceremony along with the community awards.

How to apply for Discover Fringe Awards: Each Discover Fringe Award presenter will have different qualifications and requirements to be considered for their awards (which can be found on their individual award pages, located HERE). Some awards will have a form to fill out, and others will require that you contact them directly through the Hollywood Fringe website to submit yourself for consideration. Some will also have a deadline to apply. Be thoughtful when you submit your show to be considered for an award, and remember not to overwhelm award presenters with messages or emails – they will do their very best to see as many shows as possible. 

Sample message:

“Hi <NAME>, my name is <NAME> and I’d love to be considered for <NAME OF AWARD> for my show <NAME OF SHOW>. <add information about why your show is qualified and should be considered for the award>. Thank you for your consideration! <NAME>”

*Make sure to include the award name in the subject line of the message so that they know what you are messaging about!

You are welcome (but not required) to comp tickets for award presenters/judges. They will request comp tickets through the Hollywood Fringe website, and their title (award presenter, judge, etc.) will be specified with the comp request. 

2026 Discover Fringe Awards: (view them all and apply here)

Ella Turenne Award, presented by Hollywood Fringe Access Advisory Committee (learn more)

Fierce Artist Award, presented by Playhouse Arts “Zero to Fierce Festival” (learn more)

International Fringe Encore Series: Hollywood Prize, presented by SoHo Playhouse (learn more)

Loud Karma Emerging Women and Gender Diverse Playwright’s Award, presented by Loud Karma Productions, LLC (learn more)

M&M Arts Cross-Cultural Voices Award, presented by M&M Arts and Productions INC. (learn more)

New York City Pivot Award, presented by LA Hidden Gems (learn more)

Sacred Fools’ Award for Unique Theatricality, presented by Sacred Fools (learn more)

Take the Stage Award, presented by Theatre 68 Arts Festival / Theatre 68 Arts Complex (learn more)

The Hitmaker Comedy Award, presented by The H.I.T. Comedy Theater (learn more)

The Planners’ Pick, presented by Theatre Planners (learn more)

The Screamiest, presented by Midsummer Scream (learn more)

The Splash Award, presented by Namba Performing Arts Space, Inc (learn more)

The StageCrafts Freeway Circuit, presented by The StageCrafts (learn more)

The StageCrafts Mini Festival Award, presented by The StageCrafts (learn more)

Zephyr’s Zest Award, presented by Theatre Planners Venues / Zephyr Theatre (learn more)

This year, we are thrilled to help share art across the globe and create opportunities for artists to expand their reach. Through exciting collaborations with partnering Fringe Festivals, we are providing opportunity for their artists and ours. Each of these awards will include a performance opportunity in person at the following partner festivals:

Adelaide Fringe Festival Exchange Award, presented by Adelaide Fringe Festival in Adelaide, Australia (learn more)

Denver Fringe Festival Exchange Award, presented by Denver Fringe Festival in Denver, CO (learn more)

Fringe Italia Off Exchange Award, presented by Fringe Italia Off in Italy (learn more)

Sydney Fringe Festival Exchange Award, presented by Sydney Fringe Festival in Sydney, Australia (learn more)

VIEW ALL DISCOVER FRINGE AWARDS AND APPLY HERE!