Scottish comedian Amanda Dwyer has been named the winner of the 2026 Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow Comedy Festival Gala. The 36-year-old received the trophy on Sunday at the King's Theatre, following a personalised video message from Sir Billy Connolly himself.
Dwyer is the fourth recipient of the award, which honours those who embody the 'Spirit of Glasgow'. She joins previous winners Rosco McClelland, Susie McCabe and Janey Godley. In his video, Sir Billy joked: 'I'd like to congratulate the winner, Amanda Dwyer, who is superb and knows more about bumholes than I do.'
Speaking after the ceremony, Dwyer described the win as 'amazing' and said receiving a personal message from Sir Billy was 'the most surreal moment in my life'. She added: 'I can't believe he's saying my name. He's up on the screen in the King's Theatre congratulating me on winning an award that's in his name.'
Dwyer triumphed over a shortlist featuring five female comedians – the highest number ever nominated – and the first non-comic contender. She said this highlighted 'how strong the female comics that we have on the scene are'. Her comedy often tackles difficult subjects such as miscarriage, which she says makes conversations more accessible.
Dwyer is also the founder of Material, Girl, a monthly comedy show and podcast featuring all-female and non-binary line-ups at The Stand comedy club. Krista MacDonald, director of the Glasgow Comedy Festival, praised Dwyer for personifying the city and making comedy more welcoming for new female voices.
