The Chortle Student Comedy Award started in 2004 as a grassroots event started by students themselves. That first year, no heats were held but selected universities sent representatives to a final at Warwick University in Coventry, which Chortle then sponsored.

Winner of that first event was Lloyd Langford, now best known for his regular role on the panel of BBC One’s Ask Rhod Gilbert. Other circuit stalwarts who appeared in that final include Jartlath Regam, Elliot Tiney of sketch group  Idiots Of Ants and Mike Belgrave, who was one of the runners-up.

In 2005, Chortle took over the running of the event, and introduced a series of heats held around the country. Crowned winner that year was Nathan Caton, who subsequently starred in his own TV sketch show for Paramount Comedy (now Comedy Central).

The following year the title was taken by Donnchadh O’Conaill, who triumphed over finalists including Simon Bird, the star of The Inbetweeners.

In 2007, the award was sponsored by Revels chocolates, and won by Tom Deacon, who went on to become a Radio One presenter.

Simon Bird returned to the final in 2008, but despite exerting tongue-in-cheek pressure on the judges to award him the title, he narrowly out, being beaten into runners-up place by Jack Heal.

In 2009, the competition was won by Joe Lycett, who was the sidekick on on Saturday BBC One show Epic Win and was a regular on E4’s Dirty Digest.

Subsequent winners were Cambridge Footlights president Phil Wang and, last year, Adam Hess, who is now making his name on the stand-up circuit.

This is the ninth year of the Chortle Student Comedy Award, which is this year powered by The Sims 3.