Abby Howells and Guy Montgomery win top prizes at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival

2023 Billy T winner Abby Howells and Fred winner Guy Montgomery. Photo / NZ Herald

A comedian who returned to stand-up after being harassed out of the industry a decade ago has taken home one of the country’s top comedy prizes.

Abby Howells won the Billy T Award at Last Laughs on Sunday night, which marked the end of the 2023 New Zealand International Comedy Festival. The prize, which is named after Billy T James and comes with a yellow towel in his honour, has previously been won by the likes of Taika Waititi, Rose Matafeo, Jemaine Clement, Dai Henwood and Brynley Stent.

In her acceptance speech, Howells acknowledged the fact she had started doing standup in her early 20s, but quit for seven years after being sexually harassed by another comedian before returning in 2019. Speaking to the Herald after her win, she said that it was overwhelming to take out the prize after her experiences.

“I think ‘cause I felt this was a dream that was lost, it is pretty exciting to have done it.”

Her show, La Soupco, is based around a screenplay she wrote as an 11-year-old that also touched on her recent autism diagnosis. Howells said her younger self would be pleased that the screenplay contributed to the award - but would be devastated it was a comedy award, and not an Academy Award for being a serious drama.

The other big award of the night - the Fred Award for the best local comedian in the festival - went to Guy Montgomery, for his show My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy, which mixed discussions about maturity and becoming a stepfather with asides on the Bechdel Test, drugs and favourite sentences and idioms.

The win comes off a marathon series of performances for Montgomery, who performed the show at the Melbourne and Sydney comedy festivals prior to bringing it to New Zealand - and won Best of the Fest at Sydney. He is now taking his show on tour around New Zealand, starting in Hamilton this weekend.

Montgomery admitted to starting crying after Howells’ win and speech, which carried on to his win. “Obviously I have famously a very stoic figure in the New Zealand consciousness, so I was devastated to then advertise my soft, emotional core,” he joked.

He said that he realised in real time what winning the award - which has previously been won by Rhys Darby, Chris Parker and Eli Matthewson - meant to him.

“I think I’ve become really good at standup comedy - you know that internally and you can feel your growth, but I suppose I found it emotionally overwhelming to have it like acknowledged and also to like mark a moment in time where I feel like I’m at my best so far.”

Howells said that it means a lot to win alongside Montgomery, and he was one of her “biggest champions” upon her return to the industry.

“He’s helped me with this show, there are jokes that he helped me with in this show, so a real honour to win alongside him, because honestly, I think I would not be here and I would not be as confident if it wasn’t for him.”

Montgomery said Howells’ show is one of the best shows he has seen this year. “I’m just so happy for it, and to get the win alongside her is a fantastic moment in life.”

Other awards handed out earlier in the night included Best Newcomer (Auckland) for Kura Turuwhenua, Best Newcomer (Wellington) for Orin Ruaine-Prattley, the Director’s Choice Award for Liv Parker, and Anthony Crum and Bailey Poching received Best Debut.