Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund recipient Black Honey Company has won a prestigious Helpmann Award for its boisterous and stereotype-smashing cabaret show Hot Brown Honey.

The Brisbane-based company was named Best Cabaret Performer at Monday night’s Helpmann Awards ceremony in Sydney.

Black Honey Company was awarded a $10,000 Artist Fund grant to premiere Hot Brown Honey – a humorous exploration of culture and politics through dance, circus and song – at the 2015 Adelaide Fringe.

Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said Hot Brown Honey received rave reviews during its two Adelaide Fringe seasons and had subsequently toured around the world.

“We’re so proud to support exciting and daring work in the early stages of development, and it’s encouraging to see so many of our Artist Fund recipients going on to scale new heights. Hot Brown Honey is a great success story for the Fund and we hope it inspires more artists to apply for grants,” Ms Croall said.

The Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund awards grants to independent Australian artists who apply for support to present work at the festival.

Following a sell-out first season in 2015, Hot Brown Honey received a Fresh Ground residency at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Queensland. The show was also picked up by delegates of the Adelaide Fringe’s arts marketplace, Honey Pot, and subsequently toured to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Tiger Dublin Fringe, Red Hot Arts HT, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Brisbane Festival, Sydney Opera House and Darebin Arts in Victoria.

Ms Croall encouraged artists to lodge an application for the next round of Artist Fund grants, which are currently open until September 4.

“The Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund can make all the different to an artist as they plan their launch at the Adelaide Fringe. We know how much it costs to develop new, innovative work and we hope to lessen financial pressure through the Artist Fund,” she said.

Since the Fund was launched in 2014, 19 artists have shared in $100,000 worth of grants from Adelaide Fringe. Other recipients who have gone on to win awards and tour work internationally include cabaret performer Anya Anastasia (Rogue Romantic), playwright Emily Steel (19 weeks) and dancer Dan Daw (On One Condition).

Artists can apply for up to $10,000 per project and applications will be assessed on their level of innovation, dare and risk, audience connection, marketing and promotion. Applications close on Monday, September 4, at 5pm.