Comedy Festival Stand Up! Grants award $5,000 to three Victorian comedians for 2026 shows
The Allan Labor Government will support three Victorian comedians to present their work at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival through the Stand Up! Grants program. On Thursday, 19th February 2026, Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks announced the recipients of the 2026 grants, which provide $5,000 each to assist with show delivery and professional development.
The 2026 recipients are Alex Hines, Mish Wittrup and Tarsh Jago. The program supports Victorian women and non-binary comedians to develop and present their festival shows while advancing their careers. It was established in 2019 in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Award-winning comedian, actor and creative Alex Hines will present her absurdist theatre show BIRDS at the Malthouse Theatre. She created the production with collaborator Sarah Stafford. Meanwhile, Mish Wittrup will bring Not As Good As I Remember to audiences, inviting them to revisit memories through her comedic lens.
Tarsh Jago, a proud Palawa woman, will debut her first solo stand-up show, Cherub, at Melbourne Town Hall. Her performance will combine sharp humour with personal storytelling. Together, the three recipients reflect a range of styles within the Victorian comedy sector.
Program background and purpose
Stand Up! honours the life of Eurydice Dixon, a Victorian comedian whose career ended tragically. Therefore, the program continues to recognise her legacy while addressing barriers faced by women and non-binary performers in comedy. The grants aim to create pathways for emerging voices in a competitive industry.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said, “The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is a huge launching pad for emerging talent and these grants will support Alex, Mish and Tarsh to make the most of this opportunity while bringing plenty of laughs to festival goers.”
He also said, “We’re proud to honour the legacy of Eurydice Dixon and help these talented comedians overcome some of the barriers that still face women and non-binary performers working in comedy.”
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Director Susan Provan AO said, “Alex, Mish and Tarsh represent the breadth of style, originality and huge talent defining the current Victorian comedy scene. Weird, wonderful and hilarious, they’ll all be grabbing our attention for years to come.”
Festival scale and economic impact
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the largest dedicated comedy festival in the world. It generates $43.2 million in economic impact for Victoria and creates hundreds of jobs. In addition, the 2026 program will feature 2,000 performers across more than 750 shows.
Organisers expect approximately 800,000 attendees during the 2026 festival period. The festival will run from 25th March to 19th April 2026 across multiple venues in Melbourne.
Event details:
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
25th March to 19th April 2026
Various Melbourne venues including Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Town Hall
Tickets and full program available via comedyfestival.com.au
