Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award
The Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award was a competition for comedians that ran from 1994 to 2002 when it was discontinued due to sponsorship ceased. Despite its short lifespan, its winners and finalists include some of the UK's most notable comedy talent, including Noel Fielding, Jimmy Carr, Stephen Merchant, Frankie Boyle and Alex Zane. It attracted over 1,000 entrants each year.
Winners' prizes
The competition rewarded each year's winner with a lucrative reward that enabled most of them to emarge as professional stand-up comedians. The prize consisted of:
- £2,000
- A booking on the university comedy circuit
- Appearances at Just For Laughs in Montreal and the Melbourne Comedy Festival
Competition rules
The competition was open to any performer over the age of 16, who had not performed a paid gig.
Heats and finals
The heats and semi-finals were held at comedy clubs located in universities across the UK. The finals were held in Edinburgh during the festival in August.
Winners and finalists
1996
- Frankie Boyle (winner)
- Noel Fielding (finalist)
- Zeron Gibson (finalist)
- Kat Nilson (finalist)
- Kim Binstead (finalist)
- Jimmy Frinton (finalist)
- Phil Williams (semi-finalist)
1997
- Paul Foot (winner)
- Simon Evans (finalist)
- Susan Murray (finalist)
- Michael Tombs (finalist)
1998
- Marc Haynes (winner)
- Stephen Merchant (finalist)
- Dan Antopolski (finalist)
- Geoff Whiting (finalist)
- Lee Canterbury (finalist)
- Dougie Dunlop (finalist)
- Hal Cruttenden (finalist)
- Stephen Grant
- Stephen Morrison (finalist)
1999
- Danny Bhoy (winner)
- Karen Taylor (finalist)
- Lawry Lewin (finalist)
- Richard Morris (finalist)
- Billy Lewis (finalist)
- Johnny Candon (finalist)
- Belinda Merriman (finalist)
- Adrian Poynton (finalist)
- Lara Silverstone (finalist)
- Alex Zane (finalist)
2000
- Francesca Martinez (winner)
- Justin Moorhouse (finalist)
- Markus Birdman (finalist)
- Steve Day (finalist)
- Matt & McKinnon (finalist)
- Tom Nicholls (finalist)
- Karl Theobald (finalist)
- John Jason Whitehead (finalist)
- Andy Zaltzman (finalist)
2001
- Karl Minns (winner)
- John Bishop (finalist)
- Rohan Agalawatta (finalist)
- Jarred Christmas (finalist)
- Des Clarke (finalist)
- Richie Devlin (finalist)
- PJ Gallagher (finalist)
- Patrick Monahan (finalist)
- Al Pitcher (finalist)
- Tom Price (finalist)
2002
- Mark Watson (winner)
- Hils Barker (finalist)
- James-Bench Capon (finalist)
- Gary Delaney (finalist)
- Steve Hall (finalist)
- Paul Kerensa (finalist)
- Ria Lina (finalist)
- Matthew Reed (finalist)
- Stan Stanley (finalist)
- Katie Walsh (finalist)