Nikki May, who won the prize’s edition of the Sue Townsend New Voice award, will be awarded a cash prize of £3,000 courtesy of the Authors’ Licensing & Counselling Society.
By Hope Ibiale
Anglo-Nigerian writer, Nikki May, has been announced as one of the recipients of the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize. After reviewing the works of several writers, May was announced as the winner of the award for her book, Wahala. Nikki May, who won the prize’s edition of the Sue Townsend New Voice award, will be awarded a cash prize of £3,000 courtesy of the Authors’ Licensing & Counselling Society. Other award recipients include Michelle Galen, Christina Carty, Sharon Horgan, Jo Brand, Paula Lennon, Louise Jensen, and many others.
While speaking about the winning books, the panel of judges stated, “These titles prove there is still plenty of room for fun and light, especially about love and millennial dating, but equally, women’s wit is proving to be a welcome connector to a darker side of the world we live in now. Bold, absurd, modern, rude, eminently relatable, and we are honoured to celebrate them.”
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The Comedy Women in Print Prize, the brainchild of comedian, author, and actress, Helen Lederer, aims to recognise, celebrate and encourage witty women authors. Since CWIP began in 2019, 48 top witty authors have been celebrated, and 20 new writers’ careers have been launched – the most recent success story being Rebecca Rogers’ The Purgatory Poison. This is the UK and Ireland’s first and only prize to shine a light on witty novels by women – celebrating diverse female voices and kick-starting comedy writing careers.
Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Her debut novel, Wahala, described as a “comedic and joyously relatable friendship thriller,” is being adapted into a major prime-time 6-part TV series. May is currently working on her sophomore novel, Brown Girl in the Ring.
The judging panel included broadcaster, Angie Greaves; comedian and author, Arabella Weir; Anita Dobson; comedy actor, Susie Blake, and last year’s winning author, Jess Sutanto.