funny girls

Do you think you're funny? The search is on to find the funniest women in the country!

After fifteen heats, two semi finals and a rip-roaring rollercoaster of hilarity across the UK, the winner of the NIVEA Funny Women Awards 2008 will be crowned at the world famous Comedy Store in London on Monday 23rd June. 

If you think you've got what it takes to make the nation laugh, the regional heats of Funny Women are taking place now, and open to any woman who thinks she’s got the nerve - and sense of humour - to perform stand-up in front of a live audience. Heats are being held around the UK in London, Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Plymouth, Newcastle, Dublin and Glasgow and this year the organizers expect to see more than two hundred entrants competing in the prestigious NIVEA Funny Women Awards 2008.  Funny Women is pioneering the next generation of female comics and supports performers at all levels through their own shows and developing new acts.

Prizes

First prize for the winner will be a week’s holiday for two at the five-star contemporary boutique Londa Hotel in Cyprus with flights and transfers on the island from Classic Collection Holidays and £1,000 spending money plus a year’s supply of NIVEA.  Two runners-up will each receive £500 cash.

As part of the Funny Women’s on-going promotion of female comedy, the winners and runners-up from six years of Awards will go on to perform in NIVEA Funny Women Live, a nationwide tour showcasing the best of female comedy alongside some of the UK’s most established female comics.  Dates and venues to be announced.

Why Funny Women?

 Funny Women’s producer Lynne Parker explains:

"We are completely passionate about what we do and Funny Women redressed the male/female balance on the comedy circuit.  We saw a great opportunity to give women the chance to perform together and, as a result of what we have achieved with our all-female shows, comedy promoters are now more open to booking female comics.  We’ve illustrated that there is just as much variety and diversity amongst the women performers as the men.”

Previous winners

Last year’s winner is Andi Osho, a 34 year old actor from Stratford in East London.  Zoe Lyons, winner of the 2004 Awards, is now carving a successful career as a comedy performer and stand-up and was nominated for an If.Comedy Award at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe – Zoe will compare the final of the Awards for the second year running. Other previous winners include 2003 winner Sarah Adams performing as Jade The Folk Singer, Debra-Jane Appelby, 2005 winner and Suzy Bennett 2006 winner and now star of Channel 4’s ‘The Greatest Diets in History’. 

Jo Wood, Marketing Manager, NIVEA comments,

“We like to take an holistic approach to beauty at NIVEA, as we understand that beauty comes in many forms and that feeling beautiful is as much about how you feel as how you look.  The NIVEA Funny Women Awards are a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with women around the UK and to empower them to do something that makes them feel good, whether that involves entering the NIVEA Funny Women Awards, taking part in one of the NIVEA Funny Women Workshops or simply coming along to watch one of the NIVEA Funny Women events”.