Student Award semi-finalists announced

The semi-finalists in the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2011 can now be announced.

As well as the 13 winners of the regional heats, the judges have chosen an additional eight best runners-up across the entire competition who have made it through to the next round.

They are:

• Ben Lowes Smith, who took part in the Newcastle heat, where he is an English literature postgrad
• David Elms, an Edinburgh linguistics student who took part in the Glasgow heat
• John Rushton, an Edinburgh molecular medicine PhD student, also from the Glasgow heat
• Nicholas Cooke, a film and video student from the University of East London who took part in the Southampton heat
• Pete Otway, studying politics at Liverpool John Moores University and competitor in the Sheffield heat
• Rhys Jones, a Manchester politics undergraduate who took part in the first of the heats in University College London
• Richard Stainbank, a previous finalist – from 2008 – who performed in the second of our UCL heats
• Richard Hanrahan, a third competitor from the Glasgow heat, who is studying for a PhD in documentary film at Edinburgh University.

They will now compete in one of the semi-finals to be held at the Manchester Frog & Bucket on May 11 (a href="http://ticketsuk.at/chortle?CTY=37&DURL=http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_northwest&query=detail&event=440327">tickets) and at the Tattershall Castle in central London on May 15.

One last place in the semi-finals is available for the winner of our People’s Choice vote. Browse our YouTube channel to select your favourite performer, then cast your vote below before 5pm on March 30.

Already through to the semis as heat winners are Patrick Kavanagh, Chris Quaile, Richard Gadd, Jon Williams, Padraig Ryan, Rob Carter, Glenn Moore, Steph E Graph, Adam Hess, Stuart Hossack, Nathan Willcock, Red Redmond and Ali Lewis – who won the last heat in Canterbury last night. You can watch all the winning performances here.

Published: 16 Mar 2011