Sharon Horgan and Jo Brand have received special contribution prizes at the 2023 Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) Prize for their role in shaking up the comedy establishment.
Devised by comedian and author Helen Lederer, the fourth annual CWIP winners, supported by i, were announced at a star-studded ceremony at The Groucho Club in London.
Irish writer and performer Horgan, whose hit shows include Catastrophe, Motherland and Bad Sisters, was given the honorary Witty Impact Award.
Presented by last year’s winner Meera Syal, the prize went to Horgan for her “contribution to wit on the page and screen as well as changing the literary canvas with women-led comedy.”
Brand was named Witty Game-Changer for her role in “transforming the perception of witty women in comedy as well as pushing boundaries across all media.”
The former psychiatric nurse made her stand-up breakthrough in the alternative comedy scene of the early 80s.
Defying the sexism of a male-dominated comedy establishment, Brand’s deadpan take-no-prisoners humour won her a loyal audience and a regular slot on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You?
Irish author Michelle Gallen took the top Published Novel prize with Factory Girls, a “funny, politically rich and relevant coming-of-age” story.
Described by the judges as a “fearless, raunchy, and real novel”, Factory Girls tells the story of Northern Irish schoolgirl Maeve who takes a holiday job in a shirt factory in 1994.
As tensions rise among the Catholic and Protestant workforce, she is forced into making a choice that will impact the rest of her life.
Gallen’s first novel Big Girl Small Town, shortlisted for the 2020 CWIP awards, is already being adapted for TV by the team behind BBC drama Gentleman Jack, after director and actor Kathy Burke bought the rights.
The author, brought up in the border town of Castlederg, County Tyrone, during the Troubles, battled a serious brain injury which left her with short-term memory loss, caused by encephalitis, before launching her career as a writer.
The winner of the Unpublished Novel prize was London school librarian Silvia Saunders for her novel Happy Above Us, in which a twentysomething librarian juggles friendship, grief, and the housing crisis as her boyfriend unravels.
CWIP founder Lederer said: “To choose between any of these wonderfully clever, uplifting novels is impossible, but we have created a platform to celebrate the wit that is already out there, as well as enable new witty writing.
“That, at least, is a big tick, before I pop my clogs. To recommend a witty book to anyone is a more than a gift – it can be a lifeline.”
The first award of its kind, the CWIP was established in 2019 to “celebrate women’s wit and enable writing careers where doors had been closed.”
Comedy Women In Print 2023 award winners
Witty Impact Award – Sharon Horgan
Honorary Game-Changer Award – Jo Brand
Published Novel – Michelle Gallen for Factory Girls
Runner-up Published Novel – Bonnie Garmus for Lessons in Chemistry
New Voice Published Novel – Nikki May for Wahala
Legacy Award – accepted on behalf of Adrian Mole author Sue Townsend
Unpublished Novel – Silvia Saunders for Happy Above Us
Runner-up Unpublished Novel – Christina Carty for While He Looked at The Moon
Commendation Unpublished Novel – Niloufar Lamakan for
Swiping At 60Winner Short Story – Paula Lennon for Sorry Delivery