Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s RAW Comedy National Grand Final took place on Sunday 11 April 2021, celebrating the freshest and funniest new talent from around the country. Hosted by Dane Simpson, the Grand Final declared Prue Blake from Victoria the 2020/21 RAW Comedy Winner, and Patrick Golamco from NSW runner up. The judges also recognised Dhruv Iyer (WA) and Jayde O’Brien (QLD) with special mentions

Melbourne International Comedy Festival has presented RAW Comedy for 26 years, with a record breaking 1,183 aspiring comedians registering for the RAW Comedy competition in 2020. In the longest competition to date, a total of 64 Heats and Finals took place around the country over the past 16-months, after COVID-19 darkened the nation’s stages. Today was the chance for these 2020 RAW Comedy Finalists to enjoy their moment in the nation’s biggest open mic spotlight.

Prue Blake joins the ranks of the country’s favourite comedians including Hannah Gadsby, Ronny Chieng, Celia Pacquola, Anne Edmonds, Luke McGregor and Aaron Chen, who are all RAW Comedy alumni.