Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society announces winner of award for young critics
Ella Thornburn, an English Literature student at Queens’ College, Cambridge, has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Fringe Young Writers Award.
As a recipient of the prize, she will receive one-to-one mentoring from arts critics at The Scotsman, followed by paid work as part of the paper’s review team for the 2027 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Fringe Young Writers Award was set up in 2018 to encourage the next generation of arts writers at the Fringe. Any writers aged 16–21 are eligible to take part, submitting work either published or unpublished.
Thornburn impressed judges at the Fringe Society with the reviews she wrote this summer for website A Youngish Perspective. Commenting on her win, she said: “Having reviewed regional theatre for A Youngish Perspective since I was 17, I have found enormous enjoyment in platforming theatre which offers a worthwhile message to younger audiences. I pay particular attention to queer-led storylines and new writing, an approach which informed my coverage of the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.”
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Journalists are a significant part of why artists bring work to the Edinburgh Fringe – they help artists find their audiences here in town, and furnish them with reviews and quotes they can take forward into the next steps of their careers. That’s why we’re delighted to continue working with The Scotsman to deliver the Young Writers Award, to encourage the next generation of journalists who can keep fulfilling this important role at the festival and in the arts more broadly. Massive congratulations to Emma on winning the award, and I look forward to reading her coverage of next year’s Fringe.”
Roger Cox, Arts Editor at The Scotsman, said: “Ella has a real knack for capturing the essence of a show in her writing. I'm looking forward to welcoming her to our festival team in 2027, and to reading her reviews in the pages of The Scotsman."
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