NHK Newcomer Comedy Award 2026 finalists announced

NHK has announced the eight finalists for the ‘NHK Newcomer Comedy Award 2026’. Out of 285 competing groups from Tokyo and Osaka, the selected performers will compete in two blocks to determine the finalists for the grand championship.

Block A consists of Nachos, Tatoeba Honoo, Gyoneko, and Gokai Captain. Block B includes Maguro Kyodai, Mametobyo, Cherry Daisakusen, and Sister. The competition is scheduled to be broadcast live on November 1.

Among the participants, Gokai Captain is the only group to have reached the finals in consecutive years. Other notable competitors include Tatoeba Honoo, who previously won the NHK Kamigata Manzai Contest, and Mametobyo, a former winner of the Tsugikuru Geinin Grand Prix.