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 a Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Panellist.

We are offering you the chance to join the judging panel for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Britain’s most important prize for comedy. You will be deciding both the most outstanding original comedy act and the best newcomer comedy act at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The winners and the nominees go on to showcase their work at the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award Shows in London’s West End.

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.

Steve Morton, one of our 2011 public panellists says of his experience: "Being on the panel is a fascinating experience for a comedy fan. Whenever I see award shortlists announced I always wonder how the judges came up with their choices. Selection as a public panellist gives you the opportunity to be at the heart of that decision-making process. Expect to be tired, hot, cold, rained upon and utterly exhilarated by it all. I’d do it again in a second."

Joanne Rutherford, one of our 2010 public panellists says of her experience: "Having been a Fringe goer for many years I thought I had seen a lot of shows but being a member of the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards panel allowed me to see a personal record of 103 shows in less than 4 weeks. It opened my eyes to comedians I may not necessarily have chosen to see but thoroughly enjoyed and would now recommend to friends - some I definitely wouldn't! The most exciting part of the experience were the panel meetings. Being used to dry administrative meetings in my real job the discussions about each show and the heated debates about who we wanted to be nominated were a welcome change. I was initially worried about putting forward my opinion amongst comedy producers and journalists who review comedy for a living but was never made to feel like it was worth any less than their opinion. At that table we were all just comedy fans who knew what we liked and wanted to get our favourites onto the nominee list. The whole experience made my summer and if the rules allowed I would enter again. And again. My top tips would be wear comfortable shoes to account for the trips between venues on the Edinburgh cobbles and take an umbrella for the summer weather. And enjoy every minute."

So show us your credentials. We are looking for real punters who know and care about comedy.

The winner must be available to stay in Edinburgh for two weeks from August 10 - 25.

In return, the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards will provide you with accommodation, travel, show tickets and invitations to the best parties in town!

How to Enter

  1. Tell us in approx 350 words why you are the best candidate.
  2. Write three reviews of your favourite live comedy acts.
  3. Entries must reach us by 04 May 2012. If you are shortlisted, you will be required to attend an informal interview in London on either 24 or 25 May 2012.Travel expenses will be reimbursed. Send your entry to [email protected], or Edinburgh Comedy Awards Panellist, 1 Lumley Court, Off 402 Strand, London WC2R 0NB
  4. The winners will be announced in early June.

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 August 10 - 25 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 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards judging panel for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2012. The winner must attend approximately six shows a day and provide 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 nontransferable. 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.