The Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020 (CWIP) has announced the full line-up of celebrated judges for the award’s second year.
CWIP is the UK and Ireland’s first prize to shine a light on work by funny women writers. It was created by actress, author and standup comedian Helen Lederer and launched in 2019 in response to the lack of support and exposure for female comedy writing and as a way of discovering new talent. This year, a new award category will celebrate the unsung genre of humorous graphic novels.
‘The generosity and commitment of the judges – including established and witty TV stars such as Jo Scanlan and bestselling writer Marian Keyes – has upped our game for the second year.’ – Helen Lederer, Founder of CWIP
The international bestselling writer Marian Keyes will chair the judges for the CWIP Prize for published novels. Marian is joined by: BAFTA-winning writer and actress Joanna Scanlan (Getting On, The Thick of It); writers and actresses Emma Kennedy (The Kennedys) and Pauline McLynn (Father Ted); comedian and actress Lolly Adefope, recently seen on BBC Three’s Shrill; and Laura Steven, winner of CWIP’s inaugural published prize for The Exact Opposite of Okay.
The judging panel for the CWIP Prize for unpublished novels is chaired by Fanny Blake, a former publisher and author of eight novels, who has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa First Novel Award. Fanny is joined by: Yomi Adegoke, award-winning journalist and co-author of bestseller Slay in Your Lane; Kate Bradley, Editorial Director at HarperFiction; stand-up comedian, writer, director and activist Grace Campbell; winner of the 2019 CWIP Unpublished novel category, Kirsty Eyre; and Dr Jennifer Young, Head of Writing and Journalism at Falmouth University.
The CWIP Prize for humorous graphic novels will be chaired by author and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis. Janet is joined by: Rachael Ball from LDComics, author of The Inflatable Woman (a Guardian Best Graphic Novel of 2015); UK Comics Laureate Hannah Berry; stand-up comedian and author Jen Brister; Dr Nicola Streeten, director of LDComics, writer, artist and teacher; and acclaimed actress Paula Wilcox.
Found out how to enter on The Comedy Women in Print Prize website.
