A CHARITY CELEBRATING & SUPPORTING THE UK’S BEST FEMALE COMEDY WRITING:
THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2022/23
Shining a light on witty & diverse female voices
Submissions NOW OPEN
Submit your comedy novels & short stories – published or unpublished:
https://www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk/
The Fourth Annual Comedy Women in Print prize (CWIP) celebrates the best comedy writing by both fresh and established female talent from across the UK and Ireland. It proudly shines a light on accomplished published & unpublished authors, demonstrating a wide breadth of reliably funny voices.
The CWIP charity was launched by actress, author, and stand-up comedian Helen Lederer in 2019 as she discovered that there were no literary prizes for witty female authors. It quickly became a vital platform to increase exposure for female comedy writing, celebrating humourous female voices and helping to launch fledgling comedy writing careers.
This year’s glamourous awards ceremony will be held at London’s Groucho Club. The event will include a newly created Legacy Recognition Award, joyfully celebrating the clever, witty, satirical work of the late Sue Townsend that both holds us accountable and makes us laugh – like a drain. The 40th-anniversary edition of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ is due out in October with a foreword by Caitlin Moran.
With £10,000 worth of prizes for the winners, the Comedy Women in Print prize is the gold standard for creative and witty writing. The CWIP judges panel 2022/23 includes head judge Angie Greaves, comedy actor Susie Blake, comedian Arabella Weir, broadcaster, actor and presenter Michelle de Swarte, comedian Olga Koch and comedy actress Llewella Gideon, as well as national treasure Anita Dobson and publishing professionals from Farrago and Harper Fiction.
Previous CWIP winners and highlighted writers include Dolly Alderton, Mel Giedroyc, Nina Stibbe, Candice Carty-Williams, Gail Honeyman, Diksha Basu, Andi Osho, Daisy Buchanan & Beth O’Leary.
Helen Lederer, the founder of the CWIP Prize, said: “Writing can feel like an uphill battle, so I created CWIP to make a difference and amplify women’s extraordinary witty voices. Getting industry recognition gives talented writers the exposure and support they need. Writing funny stuff really does change one’s mood –I can’t wait for all the amazingly hilarious submissions to roll in and to make the winner’s dreams come true.”
Previous nominee Hannah Dolby praised CWIP: “The Comedy Women in Print Awards have truly changed my life and made my lifelong dream of being an author come true”. Following CWIP, Hannah’s first novel, No Life for a Lady, will be published next year and is described as ‘the most joyful book of 2023’.
Barbara Hayes, Deputy CEO of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), said: “The Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society is delighted to sponsor the very important work of CWIP celebrating underrepresented witty female writers and providing that essential platform for their stories to be told. The awards recognise the amazing talent that provides us with such entertaining books, and we are proud to be involved in an enterprise that helps celebrate writers in such a fiercely competitive arena.”
https://www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk/
Twitter – Instagram – Facebook
Submissions:
Submissions are now open. All entries should be submitted before the deadline of Friday 14th October 2022.
Key Dates:
Long List Announced: Wednesday 14 December 2022
Short List Announced: Wednesday 22 February 2023
CWIP Winners Event: Monday 17 April 2023
Categories & Prizes
Comedy Short Story with Farrago (between 5000 – 15,000 words)
Cash prize of £1,000 for the winner and all shortlisted entries will receive £100 and will be published in an anthology by Farrago in 2023.
Published Comedy Novel
Winner of a comedy novel published between 29th May 2021 and 14th October 2022 will receive a cash prize of £3000 from the ALCS.
Unpublished Comedy Novel
(completed work of at least 80,000 words)
The winner will receive a publishing contract and a £5000 advance from Harper Fiction. The unpublished runner-up receives a place on the University of Hertfordshire MA course in Creative Writing or Writing Mentorship. A second runner-up will receive a place on the online MA in Comedy Writing from Falmouth University – the first of its kind in the country.
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
