The Benny Award is the highest honour that can be awarded to a New Zealand variety performer.  Photos of all Benny Award winners from 1969 to 2020 are in the VAC Benny Recipients 1969 to 2020 (PDF) Images publication.  No awards were given in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19. A full text list of the Benny Award winners is provided further down this webpage.

For more details about the other prestigious VAC Awards awarded each year, please visit our Other VAC Awards page.  

Each year the VAC presents the Benny Award to an entertainer who has achieved a lifetime of excellence in their field of the performing arts. Nominations are accepted from club members and the recipient ultimately decided by past recipients.

The Benny Award is named after legendary New Zealand variety performer Edgar Benyon (1902-1978) who toured the world with magic, ventriloquism, juggling, rag pictures, quick-change, contortions and impressions.  The original trophy was sculpted by Grand Master of Magic Jon Zealando and first awarded in 1969.

Past recipients include many household names and figureheads of entertainment in NZ.  The Benny Award is the supreme award of excellence for the New Zealand variety entertainment industry.

VAC Benny Award Recipients 1969-2024