Savanna Comics' Choice Comedy Awards registrations open

Image supplied: The 10th Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards registrations have opened

In a bid to take the appeal of the awards to a broader audience and become a household name, the Comics' Choice team are introducing new categories.

After the awards’ 9th instalment took place in 2019, it was touch-and-go whether it would be able to revive itself after the realities of Covid, especially as iconic comedy clubs closed their doors and stand-up comedians adapted to a new performance arena… online.

And now, 24 months later, and a whole lot of hard work behind the scenes, the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards is back, with a (slightly) new name (including comedy in the title), new categories, a new voting system, and a new team bringing it all to life!

At the helm of the awards is the entertainment marketing agency, One-eyed Jack, the founders of the DStv Content Creator Awards and now the new custodians of the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards.

“We’ve worked on the awards since 2012 with its previous owners and have seen first-hand the difference that it makes to our industry, and to comedians’ careers,” comments Manuela Dias de Deus, managing director of One-eyed Jack.

Mixing magic and comedy with Riaad Moosa

Emily Stander  20 Sep 2022

“By taking the reins, our aim is to rebuild the platform, to support new talent and to profile and celebrate industry icons. We’re doing our bit to help SA’s incredible talent shine,” Dias de Deus says.

“This decade-long partnership with the SCCCAs has been an important part of Savanna’s support for the local comedy industry that dates back to our premium cider brand’s launch,” comments Kayla Hendricks, brand manager of Savanna Cider.

“This platform allows Savanna to continue to uplift a nation through humour by celebrating the iconic SA comedians that keep South Ahh laughing. The Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards is a platform to showcase long-standing, and up-and-coming local talent, and to collaborate on how the industry grows and becomes a sustainable livelihood for these talented comedians,” Hendricks says.

Trevor Noah returns to South Africa!

26 Sep 2022

Each winner will receive a stunning Waldo statuette (Waldo is the name of the trophy), and a prize hamper worth R5,000.

New formats include:

• Uplifting Comedy: For the best piece of uplifting comedy.
• Burn of the Year Award: For any tactical piece of content/social commentary.
• Funny Influencer Content: For the funniest influencer content, nominated by the comedy industry.
• Funny is Funny: If comedians think it’s funny, it’s funny. For the funniest ad in SA.

Stand-up comedy awards include:

• Best Stand-Up Show Award
• Best Comedy Festival / Show Award
• Savanna Newcomer Award
• Breakthrough Act of the Year Award
• Comedian of the Year Award
• Non-English Award
• The Hall of Fame Award

Entries can be submitted here until 8 January. The Savanna Newcomer Showcase will take place in February 2023 and the awards will take place in April 2023 in Johannesburg.

Each winner will do a few minutes of comedy instead of an acceptance speech, and there will also be variety show sketches in the mix.

Limited tickets will be available to the public, pre-register here to get first dibs when they go on sale.