Create a short video for the chance to win £250 and have your work screened at a showcase of the most exciting new comedy at the BFI in 2020.
In May 2020 The Comedy Crowd teams up with LOCO to present a special screening event at the BFI Southbank, London. We’ll be showing the best of new independent comedy to an audience including invited industry guests. A shortlist of the best entries will be screened and an overall winner will receive £250. So a bit like ‘You’ve Been Framed’* but with no bloopers, bloomers or health and safety violations.
*a British show that compiles the most ridiculous things people have captured themselves doing on camera. It’s been running for decades but the £250 prize has never gone up.
COVID-19 UPDATE - The BFI is currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions so the screening event with LOCO is now expected take place later in the year. We have extended the submission deadline to 15 May 2020 as a result.
In partnership with BCG Pro:
The leading online platform for UK comedy writers, performers and producers to find the tools to advance their careers. Find out more here
There are 4 categories to enter, and you can submit as many different entries as you wish (but only one of each comedy character / theme / idea. So if you have 5 sketches of the same type, just submit the best one). Your submission should be a sketch, short or episode that works on its own and gets to the funny of an idea you’d like to develop further. It must be a maximum of 5 minutes and needs to fall into at least one of these categories:
Show us some great animated comedy. Push the boundaries - we know that 5 weeks to make an animation is challenging so keep it simple - focus on quality of the comedy rather than intricacies of the animation.
We want to see what you can do with music and comedy. The music may only form part of the submission, and it can include original songs or parody.
The internet is awash with instructional videos. Give us a comedy take that introduces a great character or a brilliant concept.
Create a comedy piece that links to a well known celebrity in some way… but be ready to create something original. There’s no space for a tired Trump impression or for copyrighted content here… try something new.
The maximum length of video is 5 mins. We’re interested in whether it’s funny, and we love content that grabs audience attention from the start. So if it does those two things it could even be 30 seconds.
The entries will be judged by a panel of the Comedy Crowd community. We are the largest worldwide community of independent creators which enable us to assemble a diverse and balanced cross section of comedic tastes.
The Comedy Crowd BFI Showcase will take place in May 2020 in front of an audience of invited industry guests and creators. Alongside seeing their comedy screened, winning creators will have a chance to meet and greet our invited guests at the iconic BFI venue.
The winning videos will also be shown on Comedy Crowd TV, where creators earn a fair share of subscription revenue and have the chance of onward distribution. Plus we’ll promote your work within the Comedy Crowd community and to our partners. If your video really delivers you could get offers to develop it further!
And the overall winning video as selected by our panel of judges will receive a £250 cash prize.
Nada. Nothing. Nowt. Next…
The entry window slams shut at precisely 23.59 on the 15th May 2020.
To submit your entry there are 2 steps:
1. CREATE A COMEDY CROWD TV PROJECT PAGE HERE for your submission, being sure to select one of the "2020 showcase" categories.
(The Comedy Crowd TV Projects page is the place where creators can post their work to either collaborate or get exposure. Check out more about what it can do for you here.)
2. Send the .mp4 or .mov video file via a file share service (e.g. wetransfer, Send Anywhere etc) to tv@thecomedycrowd.com, with "Comedy Crowd TV 2020 Showcase" and the category (Animation, Musical, How to, or Famous Faces) in the description.
You will receive a confirmation from us once both steps have been completed.
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions will only be considered when your project page has been set up AND we have received your .mp4 or .mov file via a file transfer to tv@thecomedycrowd.com.
- Your video should be up to a maximum of 5 minutes long.
- There is no 1st premiere requirement. We'll consider videos that have screened at other festivals both nationally and internationally.
- There is no required completion date for this competition, however entries completed in the past 3 years are preferred.
- Your submission must not be in breach of any copyright, including music or sound used in your video.
- Must adhere to the content guidelines in our terms and conditions.
- All submissions must either be English language, subtitled in English or dubbed into English.
Yes absolutely.
Yes, we just ask that a parent or guardian posts your video on Comedy Crowd TV and agrees to the rules.
Please ask your parent to submit on your behalf adding the following text in the "Team" section of the Comedy Crowd TV Project Page:
“I submit on behalf of [insert name], as their parent / guardian and give my permission for them to enter Comedy Crowd TV 2020 Showcase.”
You can use music and stock footage that is cleared for use in your entry. Make sure you have cleared the copyright for anything you use. If you don’t hold the complete rights for the music / stock footage, don’t use it.
Yes absolutely! The intellectual property in the work is yours and we do not make any claim on this, so we won’t take the world or characters you develop without permission.
However, please remember by taking part you grant us a perpetual, world-wide, royalty free, non exclusive license to promote, publish, sample, and sub-license the work in connection with ‘The Comedy Crowd’ and ‘Comedy Crowd TV’ (including screening your video on the Comedy Crowd TV channel and our affiliate distribution partners). This allows us to promote and share your comedy in a way that reaches an audience of engaged fans.
Yes. Ticket details will be released nearer the time.
Got more questions? Send us an email to tv@thecomedycrowd.com with the subject "2020 Showcase" and we'll be all over it.