Entries open for BBC New Comedy Award 2014

Image: 2013 BBC New Comedy Award winner Steve Bugeja.

Entries are now open for the 2014 BBC New Comedy Award.

The prestigious new act competition launches at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, with heats to follow in Manchester, London and Cardiff.

The heats will also air on Radio 4 Extra, with the semi-finals and live final to be broadcasted on Radio 2.

To apply for the 2014 Comedy Award, new comedians need to upload five minutes of their material to SoundCloud, then send the audio link to the BBC via the online application form.

The BBC define ‘new’ as acts who have not been performing regularly on the stand-up circuit for more than five years and ‘demonstrate an appreciation of comedy and a serious commitment to developing as a stand-up comedian’.

The BBC New Comedy Award initially ran from 1995 to 2005 with the likes of Alan Carr, Peter Kay, Sarah Millican and Marcus Brigstocke amongst the finalists.

It was revived by Radio 2 in 2011, with Angela Barnes, Lucy Beaumont and Steve Bugeja winning the last three competitions.

The winner gets £1000 in prize money as well as the chance to record their own BBC Radio pilot.

Beaumont’s sitcom pilot, To Hull And Back, aired on Radio 2 last night, while Bugeja’s show is currently in development.