Comedy Women in Print Prize 2019 judges revealed

The Comedy Women in Print Prize 2019 has announced the full line-up of celebrated "witty women judges" for its inaugural year.

Comedians Katy Brand, Susan Calman, Jenny Eclair and Shazia Mirza are amongst those who will be looking over the entries.

Officially launched at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2018, the CWIP Prize was created by actress, author and stand-up Helen Lederer in response to the lack of support and exposure for female comedy writing and as a way of discovering and nurturing new talent.

Helen Lederer says: "I seem to have been banging on about CWIP for years (well I have actually - OK four) but had NO idea what it meant to actually make a prize happen from nothing. I'm not exactly a lady who lunches - more a lady who begs people to do stuff for CWIP - all the time - but it's paid off. Without the amazing calibre of quality judges and team members this would have remained a grumpy dream!"

The judges announced for the published writers CWIP Prize are comedians Katy Brand and Shazia Mirza; they join international bestselling authors Kathy Lette and Marian Keyes, and journalist Allison Pearson, whose novel I Don't Know How She Does It was made into a film starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

Joining the unpublished CWIP Prize judging panel is comedians and writers Jenny Éclair and Susan Calman, who will sit alongside Dr Jennifer Young, Head of Writing and Journalism at Falmouth University; Fanny Blake, who was senior fiction editor at Penguin for fourteen years, and she is a former Books Editor at Woman & Home and the author of eight novels; Lara Marshall, book blogger and librarian with Hillingdon Libraries; and Karen McPherson who worked for The Reading Agency on BBC Radio 2's Book Club and on a range of literary prizes including the Booker and the Women's Prize. They join Martha Ashby, Editorial Director at HarperFiction.

Shazia Mirza says: "There is a need and a duty for women's voices to heard, especially witty ones since there has been an ongoing protest against women who pursue careers in comedy. We are forever being told we are not funny, so the only way to eliminate this negative and false stereotype is to put women's work and voices out there."

Marian Keyes comments: "A myth abounds that women aren't funny. Naturally it wasn't women who came up with this nonsense: women know how hilarious other women are. Nevertheless, female comic writers don't get anything like the recognition that male comic writers do. (In the 18 years since the inauguration of the Bollinger Wodehouse prize for comic fiction, women have won two and a half times. Just over 7%.). Whatever the reason, I want female comic writers to be given the recognition they so richly deserve and which is long overdue. I'm delighted to be a judge for this prize."

Martha Ashby, Editorial Director at HarperFiction, adds: "I'm absolutely delighted to be involved with the Comedy Women in Print prize - I'm a huge fan of a) women, b) women who write and c) women who write funny books, and this prize ticks all those boxes so perfectly! I'm very much looking forward to reading all the entries and I can't wait to ferret out some brilliant new talent."

The closing date for submissions from aspiring and published comic women novelists is 28th February 2019.

The Comedy Women in Print Prize winners will be announced at an award ceremony at the Conduit Club on Wednesday 10th July. The winning author in the published category will be offered a £2000 cash award. The CWIP Prize will offer the winner of the unpublished category a publishing contract and £5000 advance with HarperFiction. The unpublished runner-up will receive a free place on the MA course in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire.

For more details about CWIP and full terms and conditions visit comedywomeninprint.co.uk