Comedy Club China’s First Comic’s and Audience Choice Awards
Despite the rollercoaster that 2022 was, there was still plenty of fun to be had, and this was especially true for Beijing’s vibrant comedy scene! Newbies and veterans alike braved the stage at venues all across the capital last year. From secret shows to filmed events and headline debuts, there was no shortage of laughs to be had.
To finish out what has been one hell of a busy year for Beijing’s comedians, Comedy Club China organized their first ever Comic’s Awards and Audience Choice Awards. Voted for by peers and audience members respectively, there were eight awards given out in total.
For the Comic’s Awards the five categories were:
- Most Potential
- Rising Star
- Best Joke
- Best Performer
- Best Comic
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the winners!
Most Potential 2022
A number of new comedians made the leap into the limelight this year and everyone at Comedy Club China can’t wait to see how they’ll grow in 2023. In fact, there were so many promising comedians that there was a three-way tie for Most Potential 2022, with Mick Makulusa, Howard the Lawyer and Edge Ma all winning, and George Du getting runner up.
Rising Star 2022
The Rising Star award goes to the comedian who put in the biggest effort to reach a higher level of comedy, and this year’s winner was Louis Dowling with Summer Zhang as runner up.
Best Joke 2022
This award goes to the single funniest and most memorable joke of the year and was won by Luke Zou for his sketchpad jokes. Justin Noutch got runner up for his lesbian joke.
Best Performer 2022
The Best Performer award goes to the comedian who always owns the stage and can change the atmosphere of the entire crowd. Kei Gambit won this award, with Justin Noutch getting runner up.
Best Comic 2022
The most coveted of all the awards, this one goes to the standout comic star of 2022 and was won by Donnie Fan with Kei Gambit getting runner up.
For the Audience Choice Awards there were three categories:
- Best Show of 2022
- Best Comic of 2022
- Favorite Comic of 2022
And here are the winners…
Best Show 2022
This award goes to the most memorable and overall favorite show of the year, and for 2022 it went to Class-In-Session. This show’s featured performers were Jacob Wanuch and Professor Dave, with supporting comics Summer Zhang, George Du, Luke Zou, Donnie Fan, Kei Gambit, and Joe Wong
Best Comic 2022
Another sought-after award, it was a double win for Donnie Fan, who also picked up the Audience Choice Award for Best Comic, with Kei Gambit coming as the runner up.
Favorite Comic 2022
For this award it was all about the comedian that people just couldn’t get enough of. The award was won by Alex Shi, with Kei Gambit again coming as the runner up.
To celebrate the past year in comedy, Comedy Club China will be hosting an awards ceremony on Jan 9 at Paddy O'Shea's, 8-10pm, which will be hosted by Chinese comedian Zoey Gao. The event is free and will also include some free goodies for the audience! If you'd like to register a spot for the event, you can scan the QR code below and send a request.
Paddy O'Sheas
28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东直门外大街28号
Along with the awards ceremony, Beijing’s first comedy show of 2023 is happening this weekend! After many, many delays and postponements Shanghai-based comedian Lily Ma will finally be putting on her debut show Lower Your Expectations. We talked to Ma back in September about her comedy journey. Check out our conversation here.
Lily Ma will be performing Lower Your Expectations at Li-Pi Records in 798, Jan 6 and 7, at 7.30pm. Early bird tickets are RMB 100, tickets at the door are RMB 135
Li-Pi Records
4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区
READ: 2022 Year-in-Review: Restaurant and Bar Openings, Pt.2
Images: courtesy of Comedy Club China
