The Victorian government has renewed its backing of emerging comedy talent, announcing funding support for three Victorian performers to develop and stage new work at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival — an event that remains one of the state’s most significant cultural and economic drivers.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks confirmed that comedians Alex Hines, Mish Wittrup and Tarsh Jago will receive $5,000 each through the 2026 Stand Up! Grants program. The initiative supports Victorian women and non-binary comedians in presenting their shows at the festival while strengthening their professional pathways in an industry that continues to grapple with barriers to participation.
The grants come as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival prepares for its 2026 program, which is expected to draw around 800,000 attendees and feature more than 750 shows performed by 2,000 artists. The festival generates an estimated $43.2 million in economic impact for Victoria each year and supports hundreds of jobs across performance, production, hospitality and tourism.
Brooks said the funding was both a cultural investment and an economic one.
“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 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.”
Established in 2019 in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Stand Up! program honours the life of Eurydice Dixon, a Victorian comedian whose career was cut short in 2018. Since its inception, the program has focused on addressing structural challenges in the comedy sector, particularly for performers who face gender-based inequities in bookings, visibility and financial sustainability.
The three 2026 recipients reflect a cross-section of contemporary Victorian comedy.
Award-winning comedian and creative Alex Hines will present BIRDS at the Malthouse Theatre, an absurdist theatre work created with collaborator Sarah Stafford. Mish Wittrup, known for her work with Aunty Donna and appearances on television series such as Fisk, will stage Not As Good As I Remember, a show built around memory and reflection. Tarsh Jago, a proud Palawa woman, will debut her first solo stand-up show, Cherub, at Melbourne Town Hall, blending sharp observational humour with personal storytelling.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Director Susan Provan AO said the recipients represented the strength and diversity of Victoria’s comedy scene.
“Alex, Mish and Tarsh represent the breadth of style, originality and huge talent defining the current Victorian comedy scene,” Provan said. “Weird, wonderful and hilarious, they’ll all be grabbing our attention for years to come.”
Victoria’s broader creative industries sector contributes more than $38 billion annually to the state economy and supports over 260,000 jobs. Within that landscape, major events such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival play a critical role in driving tourism, hospitality revenue and international attention.
The festival, which runs from 25 March to 19 April 2026, is regarded as the largest dedicated comedy festival in the world. Beyond ticket sales, it supports a network of venues, technical crews, marketers, producers and hospitality workers. For emerging performers, the festival can also determine future touring opportunities, television work and international exposure.
Government support through targeted grants such as Stand Up! is designed to reduce financial risk for artists developing new material. Festival participation often involves venue hire, marketing costs and production expenses that can be prohibitive without assistance.
Brooks said that addressing these structural barriers strengthens both the artistic pipeline and the state’s creative economy.
“Programs like Stand Up! ensure that talented performers have the opportunity to be seen and heard on one of the world’s biggest comedy stages,” he said.
For the Allan Government, continued investment in cultural infrastructure and talent development forms part of a broader strategy to position Victoria as a national leader in creative industries. While modest in scale, the $5,000 grants sit within a larger ecosystem of arts funding aimed at sustaining long-term sector growth.
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