At this years Ram Comedy Festival, we’re going to be running 2 comedy competitions, with heats & semi-finals leading up to the festival, ending in the final during the festival itself.

Entry Requirements

The two competitions we have will have different entry requirements, you are able to enter one competition but not both.

  • New Act of the Year – Must have been performing comedy for less than 2 years from the final on the 3rd June. (So must not have gigged prior to June 2024)
  • Comedian of the Year – Entry is open to anyone

Please make sure you only apply for the competition that applies to you, those found to not meet requirements will be disqualified from the competition.

Heats

There will be 9 x heats hold across different venues in the surrounding areas, each run by different promoters all of which will be free entry.

  • The Old Bell – (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Mon 23rd February
  • The Royal Standard (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Tue 3rd March
  • The Royal Standard (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Thu 12th March
  • The Barge Inn (Long Eaton) – Den of Laughs – Thu 19th March
  • The Old Bell – (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Wed 25th March
  • The Royal Standard (Derby) – Rockcentral Promotions – Wed 1st April
  • Hawk & Buckle (Etwall) – PYS Comedy – Thu 16th April
  • The Royal Standard (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Thu 23rd April
  • The Old Bell – (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Thu 30th April

Each heat will feature acts competing for both competitions, with 11 comics taking part overall in each heat.

  • 5 x new act of the year acts each with strict 5 mins, with 2 x progressing to the semi-finals
  • 6 x comedian of the year acts each with strict 7 mins, with 2 x progressing to the semi-finals

The winners will be decided via judging by the promoter and other selected impartial judges on the night.

Semi-Finals

There will be 3 x semi-final for those who progressed from the heats at the following locations:

  • The Barge Inn (Long Eaton) – Den of Laughs – Thu 7th May
  • Hawk & Buckle (Etwall) – PYS Comedy – Thu 14th May
  • The Royal Standard (Derby) – ZFS Comedy – Tue 26th May

Each semi will feature acts competing for both competitions, with 12 comics taking part overall in each semi final.

  • 6 x new act of the year acts each with strict 7 mins, with 2 x progressing to the final
  • 6 x comedian of the year acts each with strict 7 mins, with 2 x progressing to the final

The winners will be decided via judging by the promoter and other selected impartial judges on the night.

The Finals

The finals will take place during the Ram Comedy Festival 2026, with the New Act of the Year final taking place on Wed 3rd June at the Courtyard in Derby. The Comedian of the Year competition final will take place in the Regency Ballroom on Sun 7th June. Each act will get 10 minutes each for the finals, for both competitions.

The finals will be judged by industry insiders (judges TBC)

Winners will get

  • Small cash prize of £75 for the New Act of the Year, and £100 for the Comedian of the Year. (hopefully future years we can increase this prize, but with us not really being a money spinning festival we’re playing it safe this year)
  • A Trophy

Accessibility of our Competitions

We want to ensure our competition is accessible to anyone, so we have the final & some the heats at accessible venues. Please let us know if you have mobility requirements that would mean we need to place you at an appropriate venue when you apply!

We also have listed in our application form which of our heats are accessible and which aren’t (the finals are at fully accessible venues, so nobody misses out!).

How to Apply

Applications are now closed (deadline was on Sun 15th February). Keep an eye out and apply next year if you missed out!

Further T&C’s

  • The reward for winning the competition will be £100 for comedian of the year & £75 for new act of the year, which will be paid to you via cash.
  • Festival organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant from the competition where we believe any coercion of judges or any behaviour we deem not aligned to the spirit of the competition
  • All the nights will be free entry with donations. For the heats it’s at the promoters discretion on whether this money is used to cover their costs or whether a split will be given. The final will be free entry, with all money raised going to cover prize money & trophy costs. (Again, we’re not a massive money spinning festival!)
  • Festival organizers reserve the right where required to alter the terms & rules of the competition as necessary to ensure it’s successful (however will try not if we don’t need to!)
  • Previous entrants & finalists are able to apply, previous winners however are exempt from entry.