Over the next few days the Edinburgh fringe will play host to the 2008 Nivea Funny Women Fringe Awards. With a list of nominees that reads like the who's who of female comedic talent at the fringe, the Nivea Funny Women Fringe Awards showcases are a great way to take in the cream of female comedy talent.

Funny Women, the organisers of the UK's only national female stand up comedy competition, have been in town since this year's festival began, watching dozens, if not hundreds, of female comics and shows take the stage. The resulting list of nominees is somewhat eclectic with nationally recognisable comics alongside relative newcomers.

There are three categories in this year's Nivea Funny Women Fringe Award; Best stand-up, best sketch/character/theatrical and best newcomer. The nominees for best stand up are Zoe Lyons, Janey Godley, Shazia Mirza, Fiona O'Loughlin, Josie Long, Lucy Porter, Karen Dunbar, Wendy Wason, Kerry Godliman, Susan Calman and Sarah Millican.

The Angry Puppy, Nina Conti, Pam Ann, Alyssa Kyria, Issie Suttie, Pippa Evans, Adams and Rae, Girl & Dean and Isabel Fay were all nominated in the category of best sketch/character/theatrical. Wason, Godliman, Calman, Millican, Evans, and Girl & Dean are also in the running for the best newcomer award.

Anyone who followed the annual national Nivea Funny Women Awards is sure to recognise a few of those names with Pippa Evans and Girl & Dean making it to the 2007 Final at the Comedy Store in London, while Zoe Lyons, Susan Calman, Wendy Wason, and Sarah Millican are all former Funny Women Awards alumni.

'It helps that we know so many female stand ups from the past six years of our awards,' says Funny Women producer Lynne Parker, 'but this year's nominees are a real mix of the best established and new acts. Our panel made a great effort to see the widest range of acts in as many venues as possible.'

Sarah Dean, one half of nominated double-act Girl & Dean was thrilled with the news of their nomination: 'we're really delighted - anything that offers opportunities for young comedians is a great and encouraging thing – we feel very validated and very pleased. The other nominees are great acts – we're in very good company!'

Pippa Evans: 'I'm very excited to be at the fringe and to be in the Pleasance Courtyard which I think is best venue at the Fringe, and it's great to be nominated - it's so wonderful there are fringe opportunities just for lady comedy.'

Girl & Dean are due to take the stage at the third of the showcases on Sunday 10 August, but it may be a bit tight on time – their show starts very shortly after they're due to take the stage at Funny Women. 'It's going to be a bit of a mad dash,' says Dean, 'we're on stage doing our show about 15 seconds later, so we're going to be running between the venues, we're lucky they're both at the Pleasance so we don't have too far to go.'

The nominees are invited to take the stage at the one of the three showcase events held at the Pleasance Dome at 3pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Judges will deliberate and the category winners will be named at the awards ceremony on Monday 11 August, also at the Pleasance Dome at 11.30 pm where they will receive their prize for winning their category and the judges will announce which of the three best represents female-led comedy at the Fringe and will receive the £1000 cash prize.

The 2007 winner of the first ever Funny Women Fringe Award was Bridget Christie and her show 'The Court of King Charles II' – a look at the 17th century's deranged royals, incompetent terrorists, mentalist fundamentalists and pointless wags. Bridget has returned to the Fringe again this year with her sequel, 'The Court of King Charles II – The Second' and will also be performing at Monday's Final at the Pleasance Dome, alongside the winner of this year's NIVEA Funny Women Awards Canadian Katherine Ryan.

With the best female comics and shows at the Fringe on the list of nominees, the three showcases should be a real treat and a great way to take in the cream of the crop under one roof, and with acts like these in the running, they really are this weekend's not to be missed shows.

(c) Hari Patience 8 August 08

Hari Patience is the media contact for Funny Women at Edinburgh Fringe 2008. Website - www.funnywomen.com

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

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