As the Edinburgh Festivals reach their peak, the city’s vibrant cultural heartbeat finds its ultimate celebration in The List Festival Awards, returning for its third edition on Friday 28 August 2026 at W Edinburgh. Spanning the rich spectrum of August’s festivities – from visual art and literature to comedy, dance, and cabaret – the awards honour both Scottish and international talent. This year’s expanded line-up introduces new accolades alongside partnerships with Edinburgh College visual communication students, who are designing bespoke laurels for each winner. Behind this sprawling tribute to creative excellence is Sheri Friers, CEO of The List, whose publication continues to stand as Scotland’s definitive guide to arts and entertainment.
In this exclusive Q&A, Friers opens up about the evolution of the awards, the challenge of reviewing, and what it takes to champion artists in an ever-shifting cultural landscape. From hosting the ceremony at a stylish new venue to fostering new collaborations with emerging local talent and industry partners, she shares her vision for The List’s vital role in the world’s largest arts festival and why spotlighting extraordinary resilience and creativity matters now more than ever.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got into media
I studied Radio & Television Arts in Toronto, Canada and started interning at a big record company during my first year of university. From there I had a dream to come to the UK so straight after I graduated, I hopped on a plane to London for a 3 month adventure and never left. I worked for U2’s record label for 4 years before heading up to Edinburgh where I did a stint at T in the Park’s press office before I talked myself into a newly created role at The List magazine in 2002. I’ve never looked back.
The List has been championing arts and culture for over 40 years. How has its role changed over that time?
It’s changed beyond belief. When I started at The List magazine in 2002, it was a bi-weekly, paid for publication with a team of 20+ behind the scenes. We didn’t have a website and producing the magazine was still a fairly manual process. Fast forward a few years and list.co.uk was born and then fast forward a few more years and The List became a free publication which came out every 2 months. Covid almost wiped us out but after some crowdfunding and investment I was able to save The List and relaunch under a new company name in 2022. We went back to coming out monthly and have been steadily growing ever since.
What is the importance of The List Awards and its role in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
The List Festival Awards are the only pan-festival awards in Edinburgh that come with a cash prize. Recognition is always important but it’s so expensive for artists to bring work to Edinburgh in August so if we can celebrate brilliant work while also giving people a bit of financial support, that’s a really positive thing.
The awards are also a chance to shine a spotlight on the brilliant work happening across all of the festivals. There are thousands of shows every August and it’s impossible for audiences to see everything. We hope the awards help highlight artists and productions that deserve to be discovered.
One of the best parts of the job is seeing what happens after the awards. It’s brilliant when a show goes on to tour, picks up more awards and finds a whole new audience. If The List Festival Awards can play even a small part in helping that happen, then we’re very happy.
What advice would you give to artists bringing work to the Fringe for the first time?
My biggest piece of advice is to get out there and meet as many people as you can. Edinburgh in August is an incredibly noisy place, with thousands of shows all competing for attention, so get yourself out there. Be visible, talk to people and, if it suits your show, get out on the Royal Mile in character as those are often the performances people remember.
I’d also say don’t wait until you arrive in Edinburgh to start thinking about publicity. Reach out to publications, journalists and media outlets well in advance with a press release, strong images and all the information they need. Getting your show on people’s radar early can make a huge difference.
Most importantly, remember to enjoy it. The Fringe can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time, but it’s also one of the most exciting and inspiring places to be. Go and see other shows, meet other artists and make the most of being part of such an incredible creative community. You never know who you’ll meet or where those connections might lead.
What do you hope people take away from engaging with The List during this year’s festival?
The List has been a go-to guide for festival-goers since 1985 and we have a loyal audience who trust us to help them find ways to spend their time in Edinburgh in August.
The List has a great track record for helping people discover something they might not have found otherwise. With so much happening across the festivals, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. We want to help people cut through the noise, find shows they’ll enjoy and encourage them to take a chance on something unexpected. Some of the most memorable festival experiences come from walking into a show you’ve never heard of and if The List helps create more of those moments, then we’re happy.
Do you have a favourite memory of a previous List Festival Award winner, and what has it been like to watch their career develop since then?
I have so many memories of The List Festival Awards, but my favourite has to be Kinder, a show from Australia. My editor and I stumbled across it completely by accident, and it ended up being my favourite show of the Adelaide Fringe.
After seeing it, I introduced Ryan, the show’s creator and star, to PRs in Edinburgh and told everyone I could about it. It was incredibly rewarding to watch Kinder go on to receive five-star reviews across the board and tour internationally.
The show won our Best LGBTQIA+ Award at the 2025 List Festival Awards, and watching Ryan accept the award was a real proud “mum” moment for me. One of the best parts of this job is seeing artists you’ve championed go on to have successful careers, and Kinder is a perfect example of that.
The List Festival Awards 2026 will run at the W Edinburgh, 1 Saint James Square, on August 28th from 2pm – 5pm.
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’