Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award 2025 nominations open
The Glasgow International Comedy Festival has opened applications for its prestigious Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, with acts, venues and staff in 2025's festival encouraged to make nominations.
Previous winners include Janey Godley (2023) and Susie McCabe (2024), with an independent panel set to judge this year's shortlist, before Sir Billy Connolly ultimately decides the final winner.
2025's winner will be revealed at the festival's Comedy Gala on Sunday 30th March at King's Theatre.
Any individual, group or collective taking part in the festival now has just over two months to submit their application, or to nominate a potential winner, with deadlines closing 5pm 13th January 2025.
Speaking about the award's inception in 2023, Sir Billy Connolly said: "Glasgow defies description. Many great men and women have tried to describe its spirit and failed miserably. What do you say about a town that dances, sings, plays and jokes differently from everybody else? The winner of this award will have to be a nutter like me..."
The award examines criteria which both Glasgow and Sir Billy Connolly represent, including:
1. Resilient - warm but tough.
2. Open - accessible for all.
3. Unapologetic - proud and unpretentious; curious and challenging; mould-breaking.
4. Gallus - bold and brave; self-starting.
5. Funny - above all else, an ability to make people laugh.
Applicants do not have to be from Glasgow or live in Glasgow, but instead must embody the Spirit of Glasgow as defined by the award criteria.
Festival director Krista MacDonald says: "In its third year, the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award will once again celebrate the characteristics and ideals that make the city of Glasgow so synonymous with comedy. Sir Billy Connolly is renowned around the world for his unique blend of warmth, hilarity and boldness - all values the award seeks to honour and that anyone, whether a life-long Glaswegian or a visitor to our city, will be very familiar with.
"This year's Glasgow International Comedy Festival is once again shaping up to be one of our biggest events yet, which means there is a huge wealth of talent who can apply for this prestigious award - we look forward to celebrating this year's shortlist at our Comedy Gala at the King's Theatre."
The 2025 festival will run from 12th - 30th March 2025. Acts and venues can register to be included in GICF's printed festival guide by 22nd November, and/or make a nomination for the award, via glasgowcomedyfestival.com