Comic's Corner · Festivals & contests

Submission Deadlines

The comedy festivals and contests taking comics now: when each closes, the fee, when it goes up, and the free ones.

Next to close: NZ Fringe · 9 October 2026

20 open now → The open deadlines in my calendar Tell me when calls open

Open now, closing first

20 entry windows, read on each festival's or contest's own site. The fee is in its words; where a site lists none, it says so.

  1. Festival

    NZ Fringe

    Wellington, New Zealand

    Artist registrations for NZ Fringe 2027

    Closes 9 October 2026 · opened 13 August 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  2. Contest

    LBC Fall Fest

    New York, NY

    Submissions for Fall Fest 2026 (non-professional comics, 16 and over)

    Closes 10 October 2026

    Fee $25 to 8 October; $30 on 9 and 10 October

    Fee goes up 9 October

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  3. Festival

    Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival (TOsketchfest)

    Toronto, Canada

    Submissions to perform live at the 2027 festival (the film festival has a later deadline)

    Closes 15 October 2026 · opened 1 September 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  4. Festival

    Montclair Comedy Festival

    Montclair, NJ

    Submissions for the 2026 festival

    Closes 16 October 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  5. Festival

    Adelaide Fringe

    Adelaide, Australia

    Event registration for Adelaide Fringe 2027 — deadline for a listing in the printed Official Fringe Guide (registration stays open for website/app listing)

    Closes 30 October 2026 · opened 8 September 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  6. Contest

    Vermont's Funniest Comedian

    Burlington, VT

    Registration for the 2026 contest (Vermont residents; college students eligible)

    Closes 30 October 2026

    Fee $30

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  7. Contest

    BCG Pro Performance Award

    London, England

    Entries for the 2026 award (BCG Pro members living and performing in the UK; up to five minutes of material)

    Closes 31 October 2026 · opened 3 August 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  8. Festival

    PlayGround Comedy Festival

    San Francisco, CA

    Submissions for the 2nd annual festival (stand-up, improv, sketch and comedic plays)

    Closes 31 October 2026

    Fee $600 facility fee once selected, due 22 November 2026

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  9. Festival

    Vice City Comedy Festival

    Miami, FL

    Artist submissions for the 2027 festival

    Closes 31 October 2026 · opened 1 July 2026

    Fee $25 until 31 August, $35 from 1 September to 31 October

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  10. Festival

    Winnipeg Comedy Festival

    Winnipeg, Canada

    Submissions for the 2027 festival's televised Mega Shows (stand-ups with at least five years on stage; an 8–10 minute set by video)

    Closes 31 October 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  11. Contest

    Quatsch Comedy Hot Shot

    Berlin, Germany

    Applications for the January–March 2027 shows (deadline 1 November of the previous year)

    Closes 1 November 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  12. Award

    JUNO Awards — Comedy Album of the Year

    Winnipeg, Canada

    Submissions for the 2027 JUNO Awards

    Closes 5 November 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar

  13. Festival

    Raleigh Comedy Festival

    Raleigh, NC

    Comic submissions for the 2027 festival (comics notified 10 January 2027)

    Closes 15 November 2026 · opened 1 August 2026

    Fee $25 for feature comics; free for North Carolina comics

    Free for some

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  14. Festival

    Glasgow International Comedy Festival

    Glasgow, Scotland

    Act registration for the 2027 festival (web and printed brochure)

    Closes 20 November 2026 · opened 16 September 2026

    Fee £47 to £222 by venue capacity (2027 fees subject to change)

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  15. Festival

    Dunedin Fringe Festival

    Dunedin, New Zealand

    Registrations for Dunedin Fringe 2027 (Fringe Grant applications close 12 October 2026 at noon)

    Closes 25 November 2026 · opened 7 October 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  16. Contest

    WeGotTickets Musical Comedy Awards

    London, England

    Online entries for the 2027 awards (a video upload or link)

    Closes 6 December 2026 · opened 1 October 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  17. Contest

    Leids Cabaret Festival

    Leiden, Netherlands

    Entries for the 2027 festival (video of at least 15 minutes)

    Closes 15 December 2026 · opened 1 September 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  18. Festival

    Hi-Desert Comedy Campout

    Twentynine Palms, CA

    Performer applications for the 2027 Campout (selected performers hear by 1 February 2027)

    Closes 1 January 2027

    Fee not listed on its site

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  19. Festival

    LouddMouth Comedy Festival

    Temecula, CA

    Comedian submissions for the 2027 spring festival (comedian contest late deadline 15 January 2027)

    Closes 31 January 2027

    Fee $35 to 15 October 2026; $45 from 16 October to 30 November 2026; $55 from 1 December 2026 to 31 January 2027

    Fee goes up 16 October

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  20. Contest

    FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival and Comedy Competition

    Calgary, Canada

    Applications for the 27th Annual FunnyFest Comedy Competition (an unedited five-minute performance link)

    Closes 1 February 2027

    Fee no application fee

    Free to enter

    Apply on its site ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

Enter early, pay less

These charge more the later you enter. The day each goes up, from its own fee table:

Opening soon

Calls with a date to open. Get the set ready now.

  1. Festival

    Brighton Fringe

    Brighton, England

    Event registration for Brighton Fringe 2027 opens Wednesday 14 October 2026 at midday (other deadlines published once registration opens)

    Opens 14 October 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Where to apply ↗ The guide →

  2. Festival

    Vail Comedy Festival

    Vail, CO

    Comedian submissions for the 2027 festival

    Opens 1 November 2026 · closes 14 February 2027

    Fee $25 at first, then $30 in November, $35 in December, $40 in January and $45 in February

    Where to apply ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  3. Festival

    Windy City Comedy Festival

    Chicago, IL

    Submissions for the 2027 festival open (line-up announced April 2027)

    Opens 1 November 2026

    Fee not listed on its site

    Where to apply ↗ The guide →

  4. Festival

    Glasgow International Comedy Festival

    Glasgow, Scotland

    Act registration for the 2027 festival (web listing only)

    Opens 9 December 2026 · closes 8 January 2027

    Fee £27 to £93 by venue capacity (2027 fees subject to change)

    Where to apply ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

  5. Festival

    Camden Fringe

    London, England

    Applications for Camden Fringe 2027 (edition 21) open

    Opens 4 January 2027

    Fee not listed on its site

    Where to apply ↗ The guide →

  6. Contest

    Hamburger Comedy Pokal

    Hamburg, Germany

    Applications for the 25th Hamburger Comedy Pokal 2028

    Opens 15 March 2027 · closes 1 July 2027

    Fee not listed on its site

    Where to apply ↗ Add the deadline to my calendar The guide →

Getting the set ready

Most of these ask for a clean video of a tight set. The D.O.C. Book takes a comic from writing that set to the stages that break comics — contests and TV contests among them — and on to touring.

The D.O.C. Book → The Writers' Room → Filming a set →

Hear when calls open

New entry windows as festivals open them, and a nudge before the ones you want close.

Tell me when calls open The festivals, month by month →

Questions

Which comedy festivals are taking submissions now?

20 entry windows are open on D.O.C. today (8 October 2026), 8 of them in the United States. Closing first: NZ Fringe (9 October), LBC Fall Fest (10 October), Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival (TOsketchfest) (15 October), Montclair Comedy Festival (16 October), Adelaide Fringe (30 October).

Which comedy festival deadline is next?

NZ Fringe: Artist registrations for NZ Fringe 2027, closing 9 October 2026.

Which comedy festivals and contests are free to enter?

Open now and free to enter, by their own sites: FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival and Comedy Competition. Free for some comics: Raleigh Comedy Festival. Where a site lists no fee, D.O.C. says so rather than calling it free.

When do comedy festival submission fees go up?

Some festivals charge more the later you enter. Next to go up: LBC Fall Fest on 9 October, LouddMouth Comedy Festival on 16 October. Entering before then pays the lower fee.

Which comedy festival submissions open soon?

Brighton Fringe, 14 October; Vail Comedy Festival, 1 November; Windy City Comedy Festival, 1 November; Glasgow International Comedy Festival, 9 December; Camden Fringe, 4 January.

How do I submit to a comedy festival?

On the festival's own site: each listing here links to its application page, with the closing day, the fee as the site gives it, and what it asks for — a video link, a set length, years on stage or where you live. D.O.C. takes no entries and charges nothing.

Sources

Updated 8 October 2026 · each window from the event's own site. Dates and fees can change; its own site has the last word.