press release: Canadian Comedy Awards, open for submissions!

2012 CANADIAN COMEDY AWARDS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

The Comedy Network presents the 13th Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival

Toronto, ON (March 27, 2012) — Nominations are officially open for the 2012 Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival (CCAs), and this year more “Beaver” statuettes will be up for grabs than ever before! The Canadian Comedy Awards Foundation in association with The Comedy Network are pleased to announce that this year’s CCA submissions kick-off comes with three new award categories: Funniest Podcast, Funniest Web Series, and the Phil Hartman Award.

Submissions will be accepted until May 5, 2012 with Nominees announced June 12, 2012. Winners will be declared in a live awards show during the Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival week in October in Toronto.

There are other comedy festivals, but only one focuses exclusively on Canadaand Canadians. Stay tuned for details on our 2012 events.

New categories:

Funniest Podcast

Submitted podcast material must be distributed on the internet first. At least one of the podcast hosts must be Canadian, and there must be a minimum of 12 episodes produced for the year submitted. This award will be voted on by members of the public.

Funniest Web Series

“Web Series” is defined as a series of 5 or more episodes, with the same central cast, performing under the same series title. Episodes must be 3 minutes in length or longer, and must be distributed on the internet first. This award will be voted on by members of the public.

The Phil Hartman Award

The Phil Hartman Award will celebrate an individual who makes the Canadian comedy community better. Whether it be donating time and talent to charity or running an open mic, the Phil Hartman Award will be presented to someone the comedy community is both proud and thankful to call one of their own. This award will be voted on by the CCA Board of Directors and Awards Committee, from candidates put forth by the Awards Committee.

2012 also sees revised criteria for Funniest Sketch Troupe and Funniest Improv Troupe:

Funniest Sketch Troupe: “Sketch Troupe” is now defined as more than 2 members who have gotten together to create and perform sketch material. New members can be added through audition process but a troupe is not a company with ‘other’ business and a system of building new casts and new shows from new casts on an ongoing basis.

Funniest Improv Troupe: “Improv Troupe” is now defined as more than 2 members who have gotten together to create and perform improvised material. New members can be added through audition process but a troupe is not a company with ‘other’ business and a system of building new casts and new shows from new casts on an ongoing basis.

The complete list of 2012 CCA categories and nominee criteria is available at www.canadiancomedy.ca.

“Last year, we received 65{f2e86ea6af82e2bb048871abf045622abf0ed27fb513932dc1ee8c05a54cbefd} more submissions than we did the previous year, and we expect to be inundated even more with the new categories added. We’re proud that a Canadian Comedy Award is so sought-after by our nation’s funniest artists, and we’re excited to see the work they’ll submit for consideration this year,” said Tim Progosh, Executive Director and President of the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE).

“Contributing to the comedy community in Canada is an important part of what we do at The Comedy Network,” said Sally Basmajian, Vice-President and General Manager, Comedy and Drama, Bell Media. “We’re looking forward to a lucky 13th year of the Canadian Comedy Awards, celebrating this nation’s wealth of comedic talent.”

These new categories bring the total of Beavers up for grabs to 29. Select categories are voted on by the public, with the remainder voted on by industry voters and by Board selection.

Members of the comedy industry who don’t already have voting status in industry categories are encouraged to register through www.canadiancomedy.ca