Today Chortle launches the fourth annual hunt for the best student comedians in Britain – and this time we’ve teamed up with REVELS, the unpredictable bite-sized chococlates, to make it bigger and better than ever before.

This year, we’ll be visiting 12 universities across the UK and hosting the final at next year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

And the winner will receive £2,500 cash, with £500 for the runner-up, not to mention the boost winning such a high-profile title could do to a fledgling comedy career.

Previous winners of the award include: Lloyd Langford, in 2004, who is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exciting new acts on the comedy circuit; Donnchadh O'Conaill last year and Nathan Caton, pictured, in 2005. He said: "Live comedy is such a hard career to break into and it is initiatives such as this that make it possible for young, talented comics to break through."

Entries are open from now until November 30, 2006, and the heats will be held in the spring term 2007. Click here to enter.

And it's not just comedians who could be winners. REVELS is offering one of the 12 competing Universities the chance to win an exclusive performance from a top comedian at their student union. The university that generates the highest number of entries and pulls the biggest crowd to its heat will win.

Plus you can take part, too. Clips from every heat will be posted here on Chortle, enabling you to vote for your favourite comic of the competition. The act with the most votes who didn't already win their heat will win a "people's choice" place in the final.

Steve Bennett from Chortle, said: "Our student comedy competition unearthed a lot of very promising comedy talent in previous years and this time the hunt will be bigger and better than ever before with a lucrative first prize - so we're expecting great things this time round."

Kay Nicholls from REVELS added: "Just like REVELS, live comedy can be a bit of a gamble and you're not always sure you will like what you're going to get! However, going to live comedy events is such a good night-out and we hope that students and local residents alike will have a great time."

The Revels Student Comedy Awards microsite

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