2026 Class Clowns National Winner

From the classroom to the world stage, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s legendary CLASS CLOWNS NATIONAL GRAND FINAL took place on Thursday 2 April at the Melbourne Town Hall. Hosted by Anisa Nandaula, after a month-long national search for the country’s brightest young comedy talent, 13 of the very best emerging performers took to the stage for an unforgettable finale.

Lara Leung from Melbourne walked away with the top prize, earning them ultimate classroom bragging rights as Australia’s Funniest High-Schooler.

More than just a competition, the Class Clowns program gives secondary school participants from years 9-12 access to professional comedians as mentors, as well as the opportunity to take part in workshops and perform in front of live audiences at a local, state and national level. Since its inception, the program has been a vital launchpad for young talent, with alumni including Joel Creasey (performer and radio host), Josh Thomas (Please Like Me, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay), Annie Louey (radio announcer), William McKenna (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Aaron Chen (Fisk, 2017 Best Newcomer Award, 2019 Directors’ Choice Award & 2024 People’s Choice Award winner at Melbourne International Comedy Festival) and Rhys Nicholson (RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under and Most Outstanding Award winner at Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022).

Comedian, TV star and Class Clowns alumni Anne Edmonds, says, “Class Clowns is about brand-new talent and ideas, building confidence in young people and watching them experience the pure joy of being on stage”.

Today, 15 year old Lara Leung from Year 10 at Huntingtower in Mount Waverley was awarded the winner of the 30th annual Class Clowns National Grand Final. As the winner, Lara walks away with a prize of $1,500, a $1,000 workshop package for their school, plus the Class Clowns trophy.

Runners-up who were also given kudos by the judges include Hendrix Borg (Vic) and Amika (WA).

Comedian’s Sez and Suren Jayemanne who were part of the judging panel noted, “We were blown away by the talent today. We really have to stay on our toes because the future of comedy is looking particularly strong.”

“Lara has a particularly strong and original comic voice for such a young age – her writing and performance was so unique.”

Programs such as Class Clowns are vitally important because they not only help young comedians develop their performance and writing skills, but workshops support the growth of self-confidence and social skills, develop future audiences for the arts, promote diversity, and provide the tools, confidence, and opportunities for the next wave of performers to succeed. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s other development programs include RAW Comedy and Deadly Funny.

For more info about Class Clowns head to classclowns.com.au.