The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are looking for comedy fans to join their judging panel this August.

The organisers say: "Do you want to go to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for free? Think you could handle more than 100 hours of comedy in two weeks? Then you may have what it takes to be an Edinburgh Comedy Award Panellist."

For a number of years now, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards has included three members of the public on the panel which helps choose the winners of the prestigious Best Show, Best Newcomer and Panel Prize titles. For the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2017, they are once again running a competition to find the best candidates.

The organisers explain: "You need to be a regular visitor to live comedy and have bags of energy. You will be expected to see six shows a day; you'll be feeding back your opinions of what you've seen and contributing to official panel meetings and the process of finding the winners."

Sam Haslam, one of our 2016 public panellists, says of his experience: "As a comedy fan, sitting on the panel was the ultimate way to experience everything the Fringe has to offer. It's an intense experience which will immerse you in the comedy world, and give you the chance to see and discuss more comedy than you thought was possible with industry experts. If you enjoy comedy in all shapes and sizes and you don't mind a spot of rain, you will not regret applying."

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards will provide the panellists selected with accommodation, travel, show tickets and invitations to parties.

To apply, you need to be available to attend an informal interview in London on the 31st May or 1st June (travel expenses will be reimbursed), and be able to stay in Edinburgh from 9th to 27th August.

How To Enter

1. Explain in approximately 350 words why you are the best candidate.

2. Write three short reviews of your three favourite live comedy acts.

Email you entry to assistant@comedyawards.co.uk, or post it to: Edinburgh Comedy Awards Panellist, 1st Floor, 44 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7LN.

The deadline to enter is 12th May 2017 at 12pm

Terms and Conditions

1. Entrants must be 18 or over and resident in the UK.
2. Entrants must be available full time and able to reside in Edinburgh from 9 - 27 August.
3. The competition is not open to employees of the Festival Fringe Society or anyone connected professionally with the comedy business.
4. The prize is a position on the Edinburgh Comedy Awards judging panel for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017. The winner must attend approximately six shows a day, possibly more, and provide short reviews for all shows attended.
5. Only one entry per person.
6. The winners will be chosen by the award director Nica Burns and the decision is final.
7. The prize is non-transferable. There will be no cash prize.
8. No responsibility will be taken for entries lost, delayed or incomplete.
9. All costs incurred by the winners, other than travel and accommodation, are at the winner's expense.