Entry open for Leicester Square Theatre 2014 competition

The Leicester Square Theatre has now opened entries for its New Comedian Of The Year 2014 competition.

The contest, which will be held at the central London venue this autumn, is one of the biggest in the country, with room for 300 acts in the heats.

New Comedian of the Year 2014 is the sixth year of the new act competition. Produced by the theatre, the aim is to have a competition that's equally enjoyable for contestant and audience alike. The previous winners are stand-up comedians Tim Renkow, Funmbi Omotayo, Matt Rees, Tim Shishodia and Rob Beckett.

The competition is based in the Lounge at the theatre and runs on Sunday and Monday nights throughout the Autumn season, culminating in the final in the Main House at the end of November.

The contest is open to any non-professional act that's been performing for 5 years or less. Although the previous winners are stand-up comedians, entries from character acts, musical acts, variety performers and sketch groups are most welcome. The only restriction is that all contestants must stick to 5 minutes of material or risk disqualification.

The specific rules are:

- You have less than 6 experience of performing on the comedy circuit internationally.

- You are not a professional comic (i.e. you don't make your living solely from live gigs or TV appearances as a paid comic). Supplementing income through paid gigs is fine.

- You must have at least 5 minutes of original material.

- You are able to attend a heat at the venue, and the final rounds (should you progress).

- You cannot have been in a past final of this competition (finalists from alternative competitions are allowed). Acts who did not make the final in previous years and who are still eligible are encouraged to reapply though.

To enter you should fill out the online form at leicestersquaretheatre.com. The entry form will remain open until all the places have been filled. Successful entrants will be contacted by the 1st July with Heat details.

Competition Dates

Heats: 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 September; 5, 6, 12, 13, 20 October.

Quarter Finals: 26, 27 October; 2, 3 November.

Semi Finals: 10, 16th November.

Final: Sunday 23rd November 2014.