News: Funny Women 2016 Launches – Register Now

The 2016 Funny Women Awards has been launched, with new categories and a new venue for the final.
 

Since 2003 Funny Women has seen over 2500 contestants go through hundreds of heats. Previous winners and finalists include Bridget Christie, Zoe Lyons, Sara Pascoe and Katherine Ryan. This year the awards will visit Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Brighton in the search for new queens of comedy.

“This year’s awards are getting a refreshing makeover” explains Funny Women founder, Lynne Parker, “with regional finals replacing semi-finals, and the winners going on to a prestigious final at KOKO in London in September.  Each of the six Stage Award finalists will be mentored by an established comedian, with Sara Pascoe and Ellie Taylor among them.”
 
In another change to the awards, currently sponsored by Benefit Cosmetics, Funny Women’s new ‘Best Show’ award will further highlight the contribution that women now make to comedy. Recent years at the Edinburgh Fringe have seen a 60+% increase in female comedians performing there, and that means a dramatic increase in the number of excellent full-length solo shows now touring the country.
 
“With an extra category and record breaking entries of the last couple of years, we are raising the bar even more this year” says Parker. 
 
Registration is open for the awards now and deadlines are indicated below. Register here.
 
The Funny Women Awards - categories
 
Stage Award
 
The Stage Award aims to find the best new comedy performer(s). The winner receives £2000 prize money and industry support for career development, including two fully supported shows.
 
Held up and down the UK, the heats start in April and go through all the way to the regional finals in July and August, the final takes place on September 28.  
 
Deadline: Wednesday 1st June at midnight.
 
 
Comedy Writing Award
 
Entrants supply a treatment (of one or two sides of A4) and three sample scenes of a comedy script for television. The prize includes £2000, intensive mentoring and script optioning with award winning production company, The Comedy Unit. 
 
Deadline: Monday 15th August at midnight
 
 
Comedy Shorts Award
 
Entry requires a film of 1-3 minutes that can utilise any comedic discipline as long as it makes sense as a cohesive film. Winners receive £2000 and their film is promoted on YouTube and the Funny Women home page. It will also be featured on Huffington Post UK. Once again, industry expertise is also offered. 
 
Closing date for entries is Wednesday 31st August 2016 at midnight. 
 
 
Best Show Award
 
A new category that has been created this year to recognise and reflect the burgeoning number of excellent full-length (an hour or more) shows from female comedians. The nominations are made by the public via Twitter hashtags, then Funny Women industry judges select a winner through the shortlist arrived at by the hashtag votes. The prize, in this case, is simply to raise more industry awareness of these shows.
 
Deadline: 31st August.

 

For more info on Funny Women click here.
 

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