Angella Dravid wins Fred Award, Hoani Hotene takes Billy T Award
Dravid, who was up against Abby Howells and Melanie Bracewell for the prize, is only the third woman to have won the Fred Award, after Jan Maree and Rose Matafeo.
She told the Herald, shortly after winning, that she was not surprised that it was an all-female lineup for the prize.
'I was saying to [Comedy Trust chief executive Lauren Whitney] when she told me, I was like, 'of course it's three women', and they're so good. When I was thinking of who would win the Fred, Abby and Mel were in my list of people who I thought would be in there.'
Hotene, who was nominated in September last year, said there was a sense of relief at being at the end of the process.
" It's very long, you think about it every day. So part of me... there's the real [feeling of] 'man, that's amazing to win', but also there's a little bit of relief of like, 'oh my God, it's done'.
'I don't think it's sunk in yet.'
Dravid and the other Fred nominees were only told on Saturday morning that they were in contention.
She compared it to being in labour.
'It feels like this incredible journey event, and it's traumatic as well, because there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of anxiety, 'is it gonna be okay?'
'And then, when I gave birth, I forgot about the pain and everything. And I was just holding a little baby in my arms, and then my life changed.
'And it feels a bit like that, except life hasn't changed. I'm still gonna have financial issues.'
The prizes were awarded at Last Laughs, which marks the end of the three-week-long International Comedy Festival.
More than 100 shows across Auckland and Wellington took to the stage over the course of the festival.
It's a high point on the calendar year for the local comedy industry, which, like many others, has struggled with rising costs in recent years.
Dravid said there aren't enough opportunities for people to get on stage, and when there is stage time, not everyone can afford to come out, so the industry feels like it is in a recession.
'But the comedians, I think, are still at the top of their game,' she says. 'I wanted to actually thank the comedians on stage because they're the reason why we're getting good jokes out there, because we're testing them on each other, we're writing together.
'And even though our industry is struggling and getting smaller, the comedians are still upskilling and they're becoming better and better.'
Hotene agreed, noting there are 'really good comedians' across the country.
Other winners at Last Laughs included James Nokise, who accepted the 2024 Topp Prize, given to a comedian with a unique approach to comedy who has made an impact on audiences and the industry.
Johanna Cosgrove won the Festival Director's Choice Award, and Elouise Eftos and Rosco McClelland were joint Best International winners.
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