Comedians and venues who took part in Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2016 have been announced as nominees in the annual awards organised to celebrate the event.

Nominees include comedians Andrew O'Neill, Dude Looks Like A Lady, Joanna Neary, Glenn Moore, Grainne Maguire, John Gordillo, Lucy Thompson, Pat Cahill, Pete Otway & Rob Kemp.

For the first time members of the public are being invited to vote for their favourite festival venues. Nominations include The Cookie, The Globe, The Little Theatre, Just the Tonic at Hansom Hall, O2 Academy, Bob's Blundabus and PETER Pizzeria. Voting closes on Thursday 3rd March 2016.

The awards, set up in 2006, recognise the contribution people make to the February festival and include awards for Best Show, Best Debut Show, Best Venue, Best Promoter, Best Poster, Best Make Me Happy community project and Contribution to Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2016.

The Legend of Comedy Award will also be presented at the ceremony, an award also voted for by members of the public. Last year's Legend of Comedy was awarded posthumously to comedian Rik Mayall and was accepted by Alexei Sayle. Nominees this year are Barry Cryer, Victoria Wood, Lenny Henry, French & Saunders, Paul Merton and The Goodies.

Winners of the 2016 Awards will be announced in Leicester on Monday 21st March.

This year the majority of the awards have been decided by a group of members of the public who applied to become members of the Awards Panel. 16 comedy fans, many of whom came from across the UK, were selected to see performances and visit venues in order to decide the winners. The judges will help present the awards at the ceremony, along with special guests and VIPs.

Director of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival, Geoff Rowe, said: "The Festival awards are a great way for us to acknowledge the performers, venues and other people who contribute so much to the annual festival. The ceremony has grown in importance in recent years and we're looking forward to opening the gold envelopes and announcing the winners on the night."

Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2016 took place from the 3rd to the 21st of February and featured over 780 events in 68 venues across Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland. The annual event has more than doubled in size since TV channel Dave became the title sponsor in 2012. Over 900 performers appeared and audiences flocked from across the UK to the event, the longest running comedy festival in Europe. The festival included exclusive Q&As with Nicholas Parsons and Johnny Vegas, shows by Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer, Katherine Ryan, Ed Byrne, Adam Hills, and the UK Pun Championships hosted by Lee Nelson.

Additionally, to celebrate this year's festival the team made a new music video for Leicester group Showaddywaddy's Under the Moon of Love, featuring Johnny Vegas, Romesh Ranganathan, Ed Byrne, Adam Hills, Joe Lycett, Elf Lyons, Bob Slayer, Mark Nelson, Kai Humphries, George Rigden and Paul Foot. You can see it at the bottom of this page.

The full list of nominees are as follows.

Best Venue (over 200 capacity)

Curve
De Montfort Hall
Just the Tonic at Hansom Hall
The Little Theatre

Best Venue (under 200 capacity)

Manhattan 34
The Cookie
The Criterion
The Globe

Best New Venue (any capacity)

Bob's Blundabus
Brewdog
O2 Academy
PETER Pizzeria
The Sound House

Best Show

Andrew O'Neill is Trapped Down A Well
Grainne Maguire: Great People Making Great Choices
Joanna Neary: Faceful of Issues
John Gordillo: Progress in Work
Pat Cahill: Panjandum

Best Debut Show

Dude Looks Like A Lady
Glenn Moore: Glengarry Glen Glenn
Lucy Thompson: Lady
Pete Otway: Six Years From Then
Rob Kemp: Hubris

Best Promoter

Jokes On Us
Dead Cat Comedy
Just The Tonic
The Cookie Comedy Club
Bottle Rocket Comedy Club

Contribution to Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival 2016

Love Loughborough, Loughborough College and Melton BID
Everards
Leicester Fridge
Bob Slayer & Heroes of Comedy

Make Me Happy Community Award

Feed Bellies not Bins
Fine and Funny Dining
Laughing with LOROS
Loving Laughing
Sharon Lockyer & Centre for Comedy Studies Research

Best Festival Poster

Adam Broomfield-Strawn - Falling Down
Ian Hall - Ianertia
Jasper Cromwell Jones & Friends
Karen Sherrard - A Fete Worse Than Death
Michael Brunstrom - The Hay Wain Reloaded
Paul Foot's Game of Dangers
President Obonjo - Stole My Identity
Rob Kemp - Hubris

Liberty Award

Anthony King
Jokes On Us
St Martins Square & Comedy Box
14/48
High Sheriffs of Leicestershire & Rutland
Weirdos Comedy

Legend of Comedy Award

Barry Cryer
French & Saunders
Lenny Henry
Paul Merton
The Goodies
Victoria Wood