The Comedy Women in Print Prize is a literary award for comedy novels written by women. It was founded in 2018 by Helen Lederer in response to the low number of women awarded the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, having only been presented to three women in 18 years.[1] However, Lederer has been careful not to describe the prize in critical terms.[2] She also acknowledges that her status as a well-known comedian has helped draw focus onto the award.[3]
It has been received as a positive way to shine a light on comedic novels, in an environment where publishers may regard comedy as difficult or risky.[4]
The award started with two categories, published and unpublished novels. Part of the prize for the winner of the unpublished category has been a publishing offer with HarperCollins.
In 2022, an additional award was added to celebrate a debut published author. This is known as the New Voice award and commemorates the legacy of Sue Townsend.[5]
| Year | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Published Comedy Novel | Laura Steven | The Exact Opposite of Okay | Electric Monkey |
| Unpublished Comedy Novel | Kirsty Eyre | Cow Girl | HarperCollins | |
| 2020[7] | Published Comedy Novel | Nina Stibbe | Reasons to be Cheerful | Penguin |
| Unpublished Comedy Novel | Faye Brann | Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy | HarperCollins | |
| 2021 | Published Comedy Novel | Jesse Sutanto | Dial A for Aunties[8] | HQ |
| Unpublished Comedy Novel | Rebecca Rogers | The Purgatory Poisoning | HarperCollins | |
| 2022 | Published Comedy Novel | Michelle Gallen | Factory Girls | John Murray |
| Unpublished Comedy Novel | Silvia Saunders | Happy Above Us | ||
| New Voice Award | Nikki May | Wahala | John Murray |
The reason why it is so difficult for comic novels to be published, despite their enormous popularity with readers, is that most editors and publishers are cautious of its potential difficulty as a genre
