Organisers seek new funding model to keep the long-running accolades going

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards will be axed unless new ways of funding it can be found, organisers have warned.

TV channel Dave, who supported the last two accolades, have not renewed their sponsorship for 2023, leaving long-serving director Nica Burns to seek new ways of finding the £200,000 it costs to run.

The awards are likely be put on hold this year if no  funding can be found.

A spokesperson said: ‘For the awards to take place this year, we need some help.  We are calling out for potential heroes asking them to step forward with support so we do not have to pause the awards for 2023.’ 

Burns, below, believes it unlikely that a deep-pocketed headline backer will come forward  at a time when firms are tightening their sponsorship budgets, especially when it comes to the arts.

Because of that, she is setting up a new funding model, with the awards becoming a charity. Organisers believe that move will enable it to attract smaller amounts of money from companies and individuals to cover the costs between them.

Burns – a West End theatre owner who has twice before funded the awards out of her own pocket – said: ‘I am a passionate advocate of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the vital role it plays in acting as a springboard for many careers, including my own. 

‘I remain committed to the awards which I have fought for and grown over the last four decades and I am proud of their role in spotlighting outstanding comedy talent.   

‘As the comedy section has expanded to become such a significant genre of the Fringe, so have the costs of running the Awards.  Having stepped in and personally sponsored them twice over the years, I will be the first to put money on the table for 2023, but post-Covid can no longer do it on my own.  

‘I am therefore inviting the comedy industry and all potential partners to get in touch immediately to help make the awards happen this year.  There are a number of possibilities including contributing to sponsoring each Award and/or the presentation.’

The lions’ Share of the cost come on the army of scouts and panelists needed to ensure the hundreds of eligible shows are seen. The winner receives £10,000 with best newcomer and the panel prize winner receiving £5,000 each.

No sponsor has come close to achieving the brand recognition that Perrier achieved for its support of the award since their launch in 1981 until 2005, by which time it had become a lightning rod for protests about parent company Nestlé’s ways of promoting powdered baby milk in the developing world.

It was subsequently sponsored by Intelligent Finance, Fosters and Last Minute, as well as Dave and Burns herself. 

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society recognised the significance of the awards as ‘a really important part of the Fringe landscape providing crucial funding for the winners and a major opportunity to comics’.

She added: ‘Comedy is critically underfunded, but a huge part of the Fringe, and we know that artists, venues and the wider comedy community will want us to work collaboratively to support the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in any way we can, in redeveloping and securing a sustainable future for the awards.  

‘Nica has worked tirelessly to make these awards happen every year, with so much personal investment along the way.  The awards have become an institution in their own right now, and we look forward to them continuing to evolve and grow in the years to come.’

The very first Perrier award was won by the Cambridge Footlights team of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery, Emma Thompson, Penny Dwyer and Paul Shearer. 

Other early winners include Frank Skinner, Lee Evans, Steve Coogan and Jeremy Hardy. Jenny Eclair was the first solo female winner in 1995 and it took a decade for Laura Solon to become the second. No solo person of colour won it until Rose Matafeo in 2018.

The newcomer award was introduced in 1992 and won by Harry Hill. Subsequent winners have included Tim Minchin, Sarah Millican and current title-holder Lara Ricote. 

Since 2006 a panel prize has gone to the person or organisation who best represents the spirit of the Fringe.

Dave supported the awards in 2019 and 2022, either side of the Covid pandemic. Channel director Cherie Cunningham, said: ‘We took the difficult decision at the end of last year not to continue with our sponsorship of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.  

‘It was a fantastic privilege to be part of such a prestigious event, and we thank Nica and all at the awards for two hugely rewarding years full of great comedy.  We hope they continue to go from strength to strength and continue supporting new comedy and up-and-coming comedians.’

Running costs of the awards include accommodation for up to 35 people – scouts, judges, panel and administration team – publicity and marketing, events, our officiating lawyer and Edinburgh set-up and Edinburgh administration team costs.  

There are no full-time staff and annual overheads are paid for by Burns, chief executive and co-owner of Nimax Theatres. 

However, she has said that paying for everything herself is ‘not a viable long-term solution which will guarantee the future of the awards’ – although she did so in 2009 and 2018.

In 2019, the panel of 10 scouts viewed a record 757 shows, and the panel undertook 1,751 viewings. 

If the awards are paused in 2023, any comedian who would have been eligible for best newcomer would now be eligible in 2024 provided their next show is at least 50 per cent new material. 

Anyone wanting to help fund the next awards should email  support@comedyawards.co.uk.

Published: 30 May 2023