The 15 finalists involved in the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year 2014 competition have been announced.

The contest, which is run by the Laughing Horse club chain, has run since 2001. Greg Davies and Russell Kane are amongst the previous winners, with other notable finalists including Jack Whitehall, Rhod Gilbert and Nina Conti.

Below is a list of the acts involved in this year's final, including a description for each provided by Laughing Horse...

Ed Caruana: A quirky observational stand-up from London.

Eshaan Akbar: A deaf British Asian from a Muslim family and his impending 30s has made him realise he hasn't quite got his head around the world around him.

George Rigden: A self-depreciating musical comic from Bristol.

In Cahoots: A fast paced sketch comedy double act comprising of Paul Raymond and Luke Manning.

[pb]Jenny B-side[/b]: A stand-up, guitar toting, rude song writing, transvestite from Transyl... OK, Woking.

Jenny Collier: Who worries about her life, and comes from Wales.

Joe Jacobs: A Jewish comedian laden with misanthropic musings from Home County hell.

Katharine Ferns: Confessional and honest storytelling from Canada.

Lydia Hirst: A dark poetic stand-up from Manchester.

Nabil Abdulrashid: A British, Nigerian Muslim comedian with an original perspective of South London life.

Olaf Falafel: A mixture of one-liners and Scandinavian stories, all the way from Sweden.

Robin Morgan: A cheeky storytelling comic hailing from Cardiff.

Robyn Perkins: A friendly and chatty comic from America.

Simon Caine: A stand-up comedian from Hertfordshire who talks about his life, world issues and the internet.

Wizzy Janew: A visually impaired observational comedian from Coventry.

A panel of industry judges will select the winner. The prize pot has been boosted to over £2,500 this year, thanks to sponsors WeGotTickets. Aside from the valuable exposure to the industry and being able to add a boastful line to the CV, the main winner will also take home £1000, a trophy and some paid gig bookings too.

The final, hosted by Nik Coppin, will be held at The Dogstar in Brixton on Sunday 30th November 2014. For tickets visit wegottickets.com