Comedy streaming service NextUp have announced the nominees of the Biggest (literally) Award in Comedy. And in a last minute turn of events following a twitter exchange last night, Richard Herring’s podcast (RHLSTP)  have agreed to sponsor the Award, fronting the £500 prize money for the winner.

The Nominees are:

• Chloe Petts: If you Can’t Say Anything Nice

• Reuben Kaye: The Butch is Back

• Anna Piper Scott: Such an Inspiration  

• Paul Foot: Dissolve

• Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon

• Lindsey Santoro: Pink Tinge

• Tom Lawrinson: Hubba Hubba

• Daniel Foxx: Villain

• Ikechukwu Ufomadu: Amusements

• Louise Young: Feral

• Krystal Evans: The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp

• Sian Davies: This Charming Man

• Louise Atkinson: Mates

• Kieran Hodgson: Big In Scotland

• Ian Smith: Crushing

• Milo Edwards: Sentimental

• Paul Sinha: Pauly Bengali

• Larry Owens: Larry Owens Live

• Gillian Cosgriff: Actually, Good

• Bill O'Neill: The Amazing Banana Brothers

The winner, decided by audience voting (you have to subscribe to NextUp to vote) and a panel of NextUp judges (BTJ has reached out to NextUp to ask who the judges are and what is the process),  will receive a 2 metre 1cm inflatable trophy - that’s 1cm larger than last year and literally the biggest award in comedy, plus:

• an electric pump and a carry case so the award can be proudly displayed anywhere

• £500 (courtesy of RHLSTP)

• The option to have their special recorded for the NextUp Platform

Daniel Berg of NextUp said of the announcement: “Our NextUp members love discovering and highlighting live comedy, and when they speak - my God we listen. They’ve voted and helped shape this impressive list of nominees - and soon, one of the acts will be the lucky recipient of one of the biggest and most physically burdensome awards on the planet.”

Richard Herring added: “RHLSTP has managed to do the Edinburgh Fringe remotely this year, so we are delighted to offer a fraction of what our accommodation would have cost to help pay a fraction of the costs of one brilliant performer’s accommodation. That’ll teach the greedy landlords! Somehow.” 

RHLSTP is on tour this year and next - see  http://richardherring.com for details.

The overall winner will be announced on August 25th, and NextUp members can continue to vote for the nominees until the 24th via nextupcomedy.com/bigaward

As well as organising the Biggest Award in Comedy, NextUp are live-streaming over 50 shows from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month at nextupcomedy.com.