The 2025 Comedy Women in Print Prize (CWIP) shortlists have been announced today. They comprise contemporary and heartfelt writing using wit as the conduit to plunder personal stories while shining a much-needed light on the world stage. Nothing is off limits - from raucous reveals to tender circumspection – these titles have the power to make you think and make you laugh at the same time.     

CWIP Founder Helen Lederer commented: "It’s CWIP’s seven year and with it came my seven-year itch – do we still need a prize for witty women writers I asked? But the judges support for these books proves how a new bravery and boldness in witty writing is both needed and relished. The need to connect through humour has never been more valued. Our job is to big up the funny. The itch has been scratched."

Who made the CWIP 2025 Shortlist?

The Published Novel shortlist, chosen by a celebrated panel of judges that includes Kerry Godliman, Ingrid Oliver and Ranvir Singh, offers four debut novels, and celebrates anarchic, daring writers, some drawing on political landscapes and worlds far beyond the domestic arena. 

The CWIP 2025 shortlist for the Published Novel category

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett. LoveReading Reviewer Billy Lindon bloody loved this book and awarded it a LoveReading Star. "Delightfully surprising, silly, and tender, this novel about a lesbian clown trying to seduce a successful magician is unlike anything else you’ve ever read – and you must"

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. A deeply moving and beautifully strange debut that follows Adina, an alien born into a Sicilian-American home, as she faxes observations of human life, alienation, and love.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach. LoveReading Guest Editor Beth O'Leary selected this book as one of her picks earlier this year. She commented: "I would still call this a romance, but it’s perhaps equally a book about loving and caring for yourself. It’s also very, very funny − there is a dark, wry humour to it that really sets it apart."

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. Awarded a LoveReading Star Book, Billy Lindon shared: "When Lauren’s husband goes up into the attic, he comes down a new man – literally – in Holly Gramazio’s brilliant high-concept novel about life-changing relationships."

Weirdo by Sara Pascoe. LoveReading concurs on another great addition. Reviewer Joanne Owen commented: "Sad and funny, this winning fiction debut from a top comedian presents a brilliantly observed, bittersweet slice of real-life struggles with relationships, debt and fractured family dynamics."

Don’t Make Me Laugh by Julia Raeside. Another LoveReading fave - Billy Lindon found it engaging and compulsive to read, describing it as "a #metoo novel set in the UK stand-up scene, where a radio producer falls for a famous comedian hiding dark secrets under his charm "

Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis. Sharp, funny and emotionally resonant, Fundamentally plunges into the messy intersections of faith, identity and activism as Nadia takes on the challenge of rehabilitating ISIS brides, only to discover that nothing - least of all her certainty - is quite what she expected.

Published Novel category head judge Chrissie Manby commented: 

"I think this is a fabulous shortlist with something for everyone. We’ve chosen seven truly original books that feel very fresh and exciting. What’s particularly noteworthy is that four of our shortlisted titles are debuts, with a level of accomplishment to make this old author weep."

The CWIP 2025 shortlist for the Self-Published Novel category

The Self-Published Novel is a brand new CWIP category for 2025 and celebrates witty women writers who have the courage to publish themselves.  This genre of ‘unsung’ publishing is seen as a welcome addition to traditional publishing.  

A Perfect Year by Ruth Foster. Told entirely through gloriously sharp Christmas round-robin letters, this is a wickedly funny and painfully recognisable portrait of family one-upmanship, ambition and chaos in the picture-perfect village of Upley Rising. From power couples to bog-standard dysfunction, Ruth Foster skewers the art of keeping up appearances with wit, warmth and sly tenderness. A festive feast of envy, embarrassment and hilarity.

Octopus by Pony Louder. Twelve-year-old Saylor Starling is swept from Amsterdam to New Zealand to Bali in a whirlwind of family dysfunction, surreal escapades and moments of startling tenderness. With razor-sharp prose, unforgettable imagery and a voice that lingers long after the final page, Pony Louder has written something brilliant, bold and utterly unique.

Crime & Prejudice by Julia Miller. Witty, inventive and packed with charm, this reimagines Jane Austen’s world through twelve sparkling alternative stories from much-loved characters. Elizabeth Darcy leads a riot in the name of women’s education, and other familiar figures confess their misdemeanours with tongue firmly in cheek. A playful, clever celebration for Austen fans and lovers of literary mischief alike.

Butterflies by Michelle Smart. Tender, thoughtful and quietly powerful, Butterflies explores life’s fragility and resilience through characters who navigate love, loss and change with courage. A moving reminder of how transformation often begins in the smallest of moments.

Game of Trust by Yvonne Vincent. A twisting tale of secrets, betrayal and shifting loyalties, Game of Trust explores what happens when the people you rely on most are the ones you can least believe. Yvonne Vincent crafts a tense, character-driven story full of sharp turns and moral dilemmas, keeping readers guessing until the end. A layered exploration of truth and deception.

The Stand-Up Mam by Kay Wilson. LoveReading MD and CWIP Judge commented: "Warm, riotous and gloriously cathartic, The Stand-Up Mam follows Georgie, a middle-aged mother who swaps domestic perfection for the comedy stage. From Tyneside kitchen to the Edinburgh Fringe, her razor-sharp observations expose the cracks beneath the surface of family life while finding laughter in frustration. This debut is funny, defiant and oh so relatable - a joyful ode to reinvention and the power of telling your own story."

Self-Published Novel category head judge Llewella Gideon commented:

"The entries this year have been bold, brave and full of confidence, which is indicative of the spirit of the writers who dared to go out they and publish themselves so their unique voices could be heard."

The CWIP 2025 shortlist for the Unpublished Novel category

The awards have also announced the shortlist for The Unpublished Novel of over 80,000 words which brings six new writers closer to a book deal. Cross-generational stories dominate the list, in a recognisable post-Covid landscape, where many of our closest relationships have literally been blown apart, as characters strive to reconnect. 

Some News by Jeananne Craig

Generation Ex by Dara Lutes

Checking Out by Raedin O'Connor

When Death is the Day Job by Deborah Rayner

The Way of Nellie May by Rachel Sambrooks

Music for the Samosa Generation by Natalie Willbe

These stunning debuts include everything from an Asian mother in the thick of the sandwich generation (Music for the Samosa Generation by Natalie Willbe) to a young recluse who busts her grandmother out of her care home (The Way of Nellie May by Rachel Sambrooks), and the perils of perimenopausal dating (Generation Ex by Dara Lutes). 

Unpublished Novel category head judge Jennifer Young commented:

"The CWIP shortlist novels are brimming with wit and warmth, while tackling complex intergenerational relationships and the ties that bring us together. Judging such a rich long list was not easy!’"

What is CWIP?

The CWIP Prize was launched by actor, author and stand-up comedian Helen Lederer in 2019, as a literary platform to increase exposure for witty voices in comedy fiction, and as a way of celebrating fresh and established talent. 

Since CWIP began in 2019 over 40 new writers’ careers have been launched – the most recent success stories being Silvia Saunders’ Homesick, Veronika Dapunt’s Death and Other Occupational Hazards, and Niloufar Lamakan’s Aged to Perfection. 

The awards will be held at the Groucho Club on 3 November.  Honorary awards at the glittering ceremony to include a very famous, enduring winner, as well as a famous break-through witty woman. 

The Published Comedy Novel winner receives £3000 from ALCS.

The Self-Published / Hybrid Published Comedy Novel winner will be celebrated at the winner’s event at The Groucho Club, receiving a package from hybrid book publisher Atmosphere Press. 

The new Unpublished Comedy Novel winner will be published by Hera Books. Runners-up win the offer of a place on the online MA in Comedy Writing at Falmouth University, which is the first of its kind in the country, OR a writing mentorship. Other runners-up receive a place on an MA by ‘Research in Creative Writing’ or a writing mentorship from the University of Hertfordshire, as well as a Platinum Package from Fuzzy Flamingo, a UK-based package publisher bringing insight into regional trends and market expectations. 

For further information on the Comedy Women in Print prize please visit: www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk

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