Big Laugh Comedy Club Fort Worth - Panther Room [Upstairs]

Submit to the Fort Worth Comedy Competition

Submit to the Fort Worth Comedy Competition

Compete in Fort Worth's first-ever stand-up comedy competition.

Big Laugh Comedy Club is producing the first-ever Fort Worth Comedy Competition this fall. 60 Fort Worth comics. 9 shows. 1 winner walks away with a career-launching prize package.

This is the first time in the city's history that local comedians have a real platform like this without leaving Fort Worth.

The Prize Package

The winner takes home:

  • $2,500 in cash ($1,000 for second, $500 for third)
  • A multi-city headlining tour with Mason from The Looney Bin handling the booking
  • A headlining weekend at Big Laugh, filmed and edited as a professionally produced 30-minute special
  • A one-on-one meeting with a working industry agent

Total package value: $10,000+


The Format

  • 6 preliminary rounds (10 comics per show, 4-minute sets) — top 2 advance from each show
  • 2 semifinal rounds (6 comics per show, 7-minute sets) — top 3 advance from each show
  • 1 finals show (6 finalists, 10-minute sets) at the Panther Room, Saturday November 7



The Schedule

Prelims (Funky Room): Thursdays — Sept 3, Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24, Oct 1 Wednesday — Oct 7

Semifinals (Funky Room): Thursdays — Oct 22 and Oct 29

Finals (Panther Room): Saturday — November 7


The Judging

Each round is scored by 3 to 5 working comedians and comedy industry professionals on a published rubric across four criteria: originality, stage presence, audience engagement, and overall performance. Audience voting contributes at every stage, with weight increasing as the competition progresses (75/25 judges to audience in prelims, 70/30 in semis, 60/40 in finals with a live audience ballot reveal).

Anti-bias rules are baked in. At least one outside-DFW judge per round whenever possible. Independent scorecards, not group deliberation. Recusal for any judge with a direct relationship to a contestant. The full rules and judging rubric are available [here](LINK TO RULES DOC).


Who Can Submit

  • Comedians 21 years of age or older as of September 3, 2026
  • At least 12 months of active stand-up experience
  • Residing within 150 miles of Fort Worth, Texas
  • Available for assigned dates if advancing
  • Willing to grant content rights for footage captured at the competition


Submission Window

Submissions open Monday, June 8, 2026 and close Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT.

No submission fee. Selected contestants will be notified by August 10. The field of 60 will be announced publicly mid-August.


Questions?

Read the full Official Rules [here](LINK TO RULES DOC). For other questions, email [email protected] or call/text 512-817-9535.


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By submitting, I grant Big Laugh Comedy Club and its partners the right to record, broadcast, livestream, edit, distribute, and use any footage, audio, photographs, or other media captured at the Fort Worth Comedy Competition. This license applies to all promotional, marketing, editorial, archival, and commercial uses related to the competition and its affiliated brands. I retain ownership of my underlying comedic material.

I have read and agree to the Official Rules of the Fort Worth Comedy Competition, available at [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1in6W3BrG90slshdQ18WcUEFqt29aMno8_tdy28_no6M/edit?usp=sharing]. I acknowledge that all decisions by Big Laugh Comedy Club regarding the competition are final.