Set your comedy writing muscles in action!

There are cash prizes for the 1st prize winners in each category of the competition, plus performance and publication opportunities. For the runners-up there is an array of comedy related prizes and all prize winners will receive a Women in Comedy Festival memory stick.

The fifth Women in Comedy Festival, the only Festival of its kind in Europe, is to take place in Manchester Thursday 19^th – Sunday 29^th October 2017.

Category 1 – A three minutes comedy sketch or monologue

The winning sketch/monologue in this section will be performed in a small stage space so please be considerate about props, scenery, lighting, sound and other effects.

Category 2 – Humorous Short Story of less than 1,000 words.

PRIZES

Category 1

1^st prize – £50 + Women in Comedy memory stick + a performance at the Women in Comedy Festival + publication on the Festival website.

2^nd prize – Women in Comedy T-shirt + signed copy of Some People Have Too Many Legs by Jackie Hagan + Women in Comedy memory stick

3^rd prize – Signed copy of Some People Have Too Many Legs by Jackie Hagan + Women in Comedy memory stick

Category 2

1^st prize – £50 + Women in Comedy memory stick + plus a reading at the Women in Comedy Festival + publication on the Festival website

2^nd prize – Women in Comedy T-shirt + signed copy of Some People Have Too Many Legs by Jackie Hagan + Women in Comedy memory stick

3^rd prize – Signed copy of Some People Have Too Many Legs by Jackie Hagan + Women in Comedy memory stick

The 1^st Prize winners will be invited to perform/read their entry during the Festival. If this is not possible the winning entries will be performed/read by experienced comedy practitioners

ENTRY FEES

£3 (or equivalent) per sketch, monologue or short story.

To be paid by Paypal. You do not need to have a Paypal account to do this.

JUDGES

Marissa Burgess

Arts journalist who specialises in writing about comedy, and also freelances in PR for artists and comedians.

Katy Matthews

Stage Manager, Assistant Producer and Production Co-ordinator for The Treason Show: a monthly Brighton-based topical stage show

Emma Taylor

Artistic Director for News Revue: a weekly London topical stage show

RULES

1. The competition is open to writers around the world, both male and female, but entries must feature women as the main character/s.
2. You must be over the age of 18 years to enter.
3. All entries must be the entrant’s own original work.
4. No entry should have been previously published or broadcast in any format or medium.
5. No entry should have been previously performed in public.
6. Formatting – please use 1.5 spacing, a pt 12 Arial or Times New Roman font, A4 numbered pages with your name, email and postal addresses in the header.
7. Include your Paypal ID with your submission as evidence of payment of entry fee.
8. Entries should be submitted by email as an attached MS WORD or pdf document with Comedy Writing Competition and the category you are entering in the subject line.
9. If submitting more than one entry, submit them in one document.
10. Closing date for entries is Thursday 12 October 2017