A new sponsor has been announced for the most important prize in live comedy, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. The new sponsor is digital TV channel Dave.
Edinburgh Comedy Awards producer Nica Burns said: “We are delighted to announce that our new title partner is UKTV comedy channel Dave. There is an incredible synergy between us; we both love comedy and are always looking for up and coming talent – the stars of tomorrow – to sit alongside the stars of today. Many of our nominees, from James Acaster, to Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe, Romesh Ranganthan and Lucy Beaumont are stars or panelists on Dave’s original comedy strands. We are looking forward to a great partnership and announcing our first Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees and winners.”
Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards are judged by an independent panel, chaired this year by Dominic Maxwell, comedy critic of The Times. All eligible shows performed live at the fringe will be judged. There is no change to the judging process, the 3 awards, the prize money or the rules. Previous winners include Rose Matafeo, Al Murray, Bridget Christie, Jenny Éclair, The League of Gentleman, Frank Skinner, Steve Coogan, Lee Evans and Russell Kane.
Dave has a well-established passion for supporting fresh comedy, and with a growing slate of UKTV Originals, the channel is committed to seeking out new acts. With an audience of over 19 million people each month, original commissioned series include fan favourites such as Taskmaster, Hypothetical, Judge Romesh, Sliced and Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier. The channel prides itself on supporting new talent, with the majority of their original comedies bringing in young audiences, significantly above industry average.
Across 2019, Dave has nine UKTV Original comedy series on the channel, working with over 100 comedians across the year.
Luke Hales, channel director for Dave, said: “We spend a lot of time talking to our audience about what they want from both comedy and Dave, and one of the most common responses is asking to be introduced to new comics – so partnering with The Edinburgh Comedy Awards feels like the perfect way to help us discover even more new talent. We want to make sure Dave is immersed in fresh comedy in the real world, as well as on television. We love the Edinburgh Fringe Festival here at Dave, and this year, wanted to build on our involvement alongside Dave’s Joke of the Fringe – we’re extremely excited to help support the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, who share our passion and commitment for supporting both new and established comedy stars.”
The new award, pictured, has been designed by UKTV’s in-house creative team UKTV Creative. Alongside a brand-new partnership with Dave, 2019 is set to be a record-breaking year for the Awards already, with over 750 different comedy shows eligible for the shortlist, all of which will be seen by the judging team.
The nominations for Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards will be announced on Wednesday 21st August, with the winners to be revealed on Saturday 24th August.
The Dave Edinbugh Comedy Awards categories are:
- Best Comedy Show - with a cash prize of £10,000
- Best Newcomer - with a cash prize of £5,000
- Panel Prize - with a cash prize of £5,000
A full history of the winners and nominees, eligibility rules and all other details about the Awards can be found atwww.comedyawards.co.uk
