Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s RAW Comedy National Grand Final took place on Sunday 10 April celebrating the freshest and funniest new talent from around the country. Hosted by Nikki Britton – and featuring a special guest performance from Michael Hing – 12 finalists from around Australia took place in the competition showcase at the Melbourne Town Hall.

The RAW Comedy crown will be shared this year, with joint winners Alexandra Hudson from NSW and Bron Lewis from QLD taking out the 2022 RAW Comedy title, with Delhi Buoy (SA) and Heather Joan (VIC) declared runners-up.

In addition to being named the victors, Alexandra and Bron will laugh all the way to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they’ll have a chance to compete in So You Think You’re Funny?

Melbourne International Comedy Festival has presented RAW Comedy, the nation’s biggest open mic spotlight, for 27 years. This year, 1,078 aspiring comedians registered to complete in RAW Comedy hitting the stage with their best 5 min set across a total of 62 Heats and Finals.

The judges were Susan Provan AO, Melbourne International Comedy Festival Director; Steve Bennett, Editor, Chortle, UK; Comedian Mark Watson; Karla Burt, Freemantle, Development Executive; and Kyran Wheatly, Director, Comedy Republic.

The 2022 national finalists performing at Melbourne Town hall were Alexandra Hudson (NSW), Aves Robins (WA), Blake Pavey (VIC), Bron Lewis (QLD), Cathal Leslie (ACT), Delhi Buoy (SA), Dom McGovern (WA), Guneet Kaur (NSW), Heather Joan (VIC), Iona Colville (TAS), Joshua Coutinho (QLD) and Nathan Powell (NT).

Alexandra Hudson and Bron Lews along with all our national finalists join 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.