Our winner will get Canada trip

As the first-round heats come to an end, we can announce that the ultimate winner, as chosen at the final at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, will fly to Toronto to take part in the 2008 Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh Off.

There, in a week-long televised competition, they will perform against professionals and amateurs from Canada and the rest of the world, for the grand prize, which is worth more than £11,000 cash.

The trip - which includes flights and accommodation - comes on top of the £2,500 they will receive from winning the Revels Student Comedy Competition currently being run by Chortle.

Yuk Yuk’s is one of the largest comedy club chains in North America, with 14 clubs across the country. Stars to have come through its new talent programmes over its 30-year history include Jim Carrey and Howie Mandel.

The company has also offered to fly the winner of last year’s Chortle Student Comedy Award, Irishman Donnchadh O’Conaill, to take part in this year’s contest – which runs from March 26 to April 1.

Chortle editor Steve Bennett said: ‘This is a fantastic addition to our prize package, and we’re very grateful to Yuk Yuk’s for arranging it. For someone to be able to play on the international stage so soon into their comedy career is a fabulous opportunity, and it’s brilliant that we can offer it to our winner.’

The final of the Revels Student Comedy Competition will take place in Edinburgh this August. Eleven of the 13 finalists have already been chosen at heats around the country; the 12th will be the winner of the final heat at XS Malarkey in Manchester on Monday.

The last place goes to the comic who gathers the most votes from Chortle readers. Clips of all the acts who have taken part so far (except at the Sheffield heat where the recording was hit by technical problems) are online now at the Revels Student Comedy Awards microsite.

Details of the Yuk Yuk’s contest are at http://www.yukyukslaughoff.com.

Published: 8 Mar 2007