National broadcaster Angie Greaves has been appointed as Head Judge for the Comedy Women in Print Prize!
The UK and Ireland’s first awards focused on witty writing by women, the CWIP Prize, was launched by actress, author, and stand-up comedian Helen Lederer in 2019 as a literary platform to increase exposure for female comedy writing and as a way of celebrating fresh and established talent. At a time when some literary prizes have been forced to close, the Comedy Women In Print prize is even more determined to ensure it continues to offer opportunities to shine a light on new and established funny women writers. Submissions for CWIP 2022/23 opened on Monday 5th September. All entries should be submitted before the deadline of Friday 14th October.
The competition, which offers £10,000 worth of prizes, is a gold standard for creative witty writing and celebrates the winners at a fabulous awards event which last year, as well as this year, will be at held at London’s Groucho Club. Previous winners and highlighted witty authors have included Dolly Alderton, Mel Giedroyc, Nina Stibbe, Candice Carty-Williams, Gail Honeyman, Diksha Basu, Andi Osho, Daisy Buchanan, Beth O’Leary and many other talented authors who demonstrate the wide breadth of reliably funny voices.
Helen Lederer, founder of the CWIP Prize, said: ‘Writing can feel like an uphill battle. Getting the industry recognition gives talented writers the exposure and support they need. This year we’re taking our cue from the triumph of the Lionesses who had to fight for respect—now they have it! Creating and celebrating witty writing creates role models for the future. We’re expecting a bumper crop of submissions this year from all the witty women who used lockdown to get their great ideas down on paper as well as delayed publications of the best comedy novels out there!”
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.”
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.”
A full list of judges can be found at
https://www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk/