£1 more than the Edinburgh Fringe award

It sounds too good to be true – but the biggest prize in comedy has been put up for grabs thanks to an ‘anonymous donor’.

The prize for the PetFringe Comedian Of The Year is £10,001 – a full £1 more than the main Edinburgh Comedy Award.

While hundreds of hour-long shows compete over a full gruelling month for the former Perrier award, the new competition requires the winning comedian to do just ten minutes’ material at two gigs.

Seven regional heats will take place for the PetFringe competition, followed by a final at the fringe festival in the small West Sussex town of Petworth  (population 3,027) on July 8.

The Edinburgh Comedy Award is backed by lastminute.com, who get high-profile coverage and naming rights for their sponsorship; but the mysterious backer of the new contest is receiving no publicity.   

‘We have an anonymous donor who is interested in furthering the interests of Pefringe,’ competition organiser Arthur Bullard told Chortle – adding that he was seeking a more traditional sponsor.

The competition is open to all comedians, and entries close on February 16. Click here to apply.

Published: 7 Feb 2018