Tarang Hardikar has won the Neurodiverse Review’s Actually Autistic Award at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe for his solo show If I’m Not Wrong. The awards celebrate neurodiverse acts, productions or shows at the Fringe that are considered exceptional and innovative. The award bagged by Hardikar aims to recognise “actual autistic” talent at the Fringe, noting the long history of autistic people being misrepresented in performance.

Hardikar, whose comedy often involves spiralling into increasingly bizarre territory, made his Edinburgh Fringe debut this year with his solo show If I’m Not Wrong. Throughout the hour, he explores his habit of questioning everyday things, alongside his experiences of being diagnosed with autism later in life.

The Neurodiverse Review Awards take place during the final week of August and are dedicated to recognising the work of disabled and neurodiverse performers at the Edinburgh Fringe. The awards also include categories such as the ADHD Comedy Award, Outstanding Visually Impaired Creative and Neurodiversity Representation Award.

The awards’ organisers specifically created the Actually Autistic category to recognise autistic talent, noting the long history of autistic people being misrepresented in performance, including non-autistic actors playing autistic characters.

For Hardikar, the recognition comes after a strong run for If I’m Not Wrong. His Fringe debut has been praised for its intricate construction and distinctive observational style, with the show moving between seemingly unrelated tangents before tying them back together.