Funny Women’s Foundations and Mission
The Funny Women Awards started in 2003 and have become the leading platform for many female writers, performers, creators and short film makers. The Funny Women Awards are the core of Funny Women. Their mission is to encourage women to have stronger, funnier and more memorable voices in media, business and beyond. Funny Women’s Matron is Jo Brand, who came on board to support the community in 2019.
With support from the Arts Council England, the organisation shows women from all walks of life how comedy builds confidence. Strongly believing in equal rights and opportunities for all; Funny Women has been empowering female-identifying voices, for nearly 20 years contributing to gender parity in the industry and beyond.
The 2021 Funny Women Award details
Funny Women is proud to announce its sponsors and partners for the 2021 global ‘Funny Women Awards’. The Stage Award and Comedy Writing Awards are sponsored by the main supporter Sky Studio. The comedy shorts award is sponsored by NextUp Comedy. Also Heat Magazine & Heatworld are media partners for the brand-new Content Creator Award.
This year the prizes are HUGE. As well as cash prizes for the winners and runners up, heat Magazine is offering a ‘money can’t buy feature’ in its magazine. Heatworld will feature each of their 10 finalists online. NextUp Comedy will produce original content. Leading comedy photographer Steve Ullathorne will shoot the Stage Award winner in his studio. Mick Perrin International will invite all the Stage Award finalists on a national tour of arts centres and theatres. In addition to this tour, will also offer the highest rated international act a prestigious place on its agency roster plus produce and underwrite an Edinburgh festival run! Sky Studios is also offering, for the first time, a funded development prize for the winner of the Comedy Writing Award.
Bespoke jewellery maker Tatty Devine will once again provide unique handmade trophy necklaces for each of the category winners.
In addition to this Funny Women can announce a partnership with BAFTA Media Technology to use its exciting awards management software, Nucleus.
Funny Women’s Charity Partner
Funny Women is also proud to support TIME’S UP UK as its charity partner. TIME’S UP UK is an organisation that insists on safe, fair and dignified work for everyone. It is run by a group of UK-based women: actors, activists, producers, writers and others from the film, TV and theatre industries as a sister initiative to TIME’S UP in the US.
“We are delighted to be the charity partner for Funny Women, which we see as such an important platform for discovering female comedic talent. TIME’S UP UK has worked with comedy since its very beginning, in particular championing female comedy writers and we look forward to working together to both ensure safe and dignified work environments and to support the development of women in comedy.”
TIME’S UP UK Chair Dame Heather Rabbatt
Funny Women Awards Timeline
Funny Women has already received numerous entrants from all over the globe that include Italy, USA, Spain, Luxembourg, Iceland, Indonesia and the UAE! The heats are expected to happen in Melbourne, Los Angeles, Boston, Milan, Amsterdam, and Dublin as well as across the UK from the end of July. The final takes place at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre on Thursday 23rd September. The Awards are still open for registration via www.funnywomen.com with a closing date of 30th June.
“The Funny Women Awards continue to be an incredible showcase for brilliant performers, writers and creators and last year’s ‘lockdown’ Awards didn’t disappoint. This year we will showcase even more amazing new talent in partnership with leading media and comedy brands, Sky Studios, heat, BAFTA, NextUp and Mick Perrin Worldwide. This support is a wonderful endorsement of our hard work and dedication and enables us to provide amazing opportunities and prizes. I am particularly proud and pleased that our new charity partner is Times Up UK. Talent should be the priority in the selection process, not sexual favours. If we are to have true parity in the comedy industry, we have to make sure that all female identifying artists can travel and perform in safety.”
Founder of Funny Women Lynne Parker
Past winners and finalists include Katherine Ryan, Roisin Conaty, Sarah Millican, Sara Pascoe, Zoe Lyons, Sindhu Vee, London Hughes, After Life’s Kerry Godliman and Game of Thrones actress Gemma Whelan.
Stay up to date with Funny Women and the Funny Women awards on their website and social media.
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