The Comedy Women in Print Prize is a literary award for comedy novels written by women. It was founded in 2018 by

Helen Lederer Helen Margaret Lederer (born 24 September 1954) is a British comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s. Among her television credits are the BBC2 sketch series '' Naked Video'' ...

in response to the low number of women awarded the

Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize is the United Kingdom's first literary award for comic literature. Established in 2000 and named in honour of P. G. Wodehouse, past winners include Paul Torday in 2007 with '' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ...

, having only been presented to three women in 18 years. However, Lederer has been careful not to describe the prize in critical terms. She also acknowledges that her status as a well-known comedian has helped draw focus onto the award. It has been received as a positive way to shine a light on comedic novels, in an environment where publishers may regard comedy as difficult or risky. The award started with two categories, published and unpublished novels. In 2025, the award was expanded to permit self-published novels to be entered for the first time. In 2022, an additional award was added to celebrate a debut published author. This is known as the New Voice award and commemorates the legacy of

Sue Townsend Susan Lillian Townsend (; 2 April 194610 April 2014) was an English writer and humorist whose work encompasses novels, plays and works of journalism. She was best known for creating the character Adrian Mole. After writing in secret from the a ...

Past winners

References

{{reflist Comedy and humor literary awards Literary awards honoring women Awards established in 2018