| San Francisco Comedy Competition | |
| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Comedy competition |
| Location: | San Francisco, California |
| Country: | United States |
| Founder Name: | Frank Kidder |
| Participants: | Comedians |
| Activity: | Stand-up comedy |
The San Francisco Comedy Competition (sometimes referred to as the San Francisco International Comedy Competition or The San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition) is a stand-up comedy contest held each September in San Francisco, California, and neighboring areas of Northern California.
The SFICC was originally conceived by Bay Area comedian Frank Kidder. However, it has been produced since its inception by Jon and Anne Fox, who now retain complete ownership after purchasing Kidder's share.[1]
The competition has evolved from two nights of 20 comics performing, to its current multi-week format.
Hundreds of comedians each year submit applications to enter the contest. Of these, 32 are chosen to perform in one of two week-long preliminary rounds. In these prelims, comedians perform sets of 5 to 7 minutes in length and the top five from each preliminary round move on to the semi-finals.
The semi-final round is another week of shows, with the 10 semi-finalists performing sets of 10 to 12 minutes. From this group, five finalists are chosen.
Finalists must prove themselves in yet another week of shows, this time performing sets ranging in length from 12 to 15 minutes.
Penalties are assessed for comedians who go over or under the time constraints.[2]
The performances are judged on the following criteria: Material, Stage Presence, Delivery, Technique, Audience Response, Audience Rapport, and the judges' "Gut Feeling" about the performer. Typically, the judges, who are different at each event, are previous competitors, members of the media, talent agents/scouts and representatives from the performance venue. There is also an extra point awarded given by the audience through their applause after a comedian's performance. If the audience gives a ten-count of enthusiastic applause, the extra point is awarded.[3]
Venues are varied and wide-ranged to ensure that the performers can play to all types of audience and have included bars, clubs, casinos, colleges, theatres and more.[4]
| Year | Winner | Runners-Up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||
| 1976 | Bill Farley | Mark Miller | Mitch Krug | ||
| 1977 | Dana Carvey | Gil Christner | Bill Farley | Mark McCollum | |
| 1978 | Mark McCollum | Marty Cohen | Jack Marion | Mitch Krug | Darryl Henriques |
| 1979 | Marsha Warfield | Mike Davis | A. Whitney Brown | ||
| 1980 | Michael Pritchard | Denny Johnston | James Wesley Jackson | Jack Marion | |
| 1981 | Ronn Lucas | Bob Dubac | John Fox | Dr. Gonzo | |
| 1982 | Jim Samuels | Carrie Snow | |||
| 1983 | Will Durst | Leland Brown | D. Alan Moss | Ray Hanna | |
| 1984 | Doug Ferrari | Mark Pitta | Paul Kelly | Joe Alaskey | D. Alan Moss |
| 1985 | Sinbad | Evan Davis | Steve Kravitz | Steven Pearl | |
| 1986 | Jake Johannsen | Eddy Strange | Rich Ceisler | Milt Abel | Dana Gould |
| 1987 | Warren Thomas | Rob Becker | Rob Schneider | ||
| 1988 | Mike Dugan | Billy Elmer | Jeffrey Jena | Tree | |
| 1989 | Dexter Madison | Dan St. Paul | Denny Johnston | ||
| 1990 | Christopher Collins | Matt Weinhold | Karin Babbitt | Warren Spottswood | |
| 1991 | Don McMillan | Tim Wiggins | Barry Weintraub | Rodney Johnson | Louis C.K. |
| 1992 | Johnny Steele | Maria Falzone | Barry Weintraub | T. Marni Vos | |
| 1993 | Carlos Alazraqui | Stephen B. | Rick Kerns | Patton Oswalt | |
| 1994 | Jackie Flynn | Rick Kerns | Wild Willie Parsons | Roger Rittenhouse | Karlton Johnson |
| 1995 | Doug Stanhope | Dwight Slade | Paul Nardizzi | J.R. Brow | |
| 1996 | David Crowe | Jerry Miner | Milt Abel | Mike Uryga | John Alston |
| 1997 | James Inman | Chris McGuire | Bobby Tessel | James P. Connolly | |
| 1998 | Vinnie Favorito | Mickey Joseph | Scott Silverman | ||
| 1999 | Don Friesen | Robert Duchaine | Paul D'Angelo | John Alston | Daniel Packard |
| 2000 | Danny Bevins | Darryl Lennox | Dave Russo | Ron Osbourne | Rick D'Elia |
| 2001 | Bengt Washburn | Auggie Smith | Robert Mac | Floyd J. Phillps | Dave Burleigh |
| 2002 | Gerry Dee | Vargus Mason | Dobie Maxwell | Chris Mata | Arlo Stone |
| 2003 | Rob Pue | Joe Klocek | Darryl Lennox | Lamont Ferguson | Rob Little |
| 2004 | Jim Short | Eric Schwartz | Nathan Trenholm | Sadiki Fuller | Tommy Savitt |
| 2005 | Don Friesen | Dave Burleigh | Cain Lopez | Kevin Avery | Floyd J. Phillips |
| 2006 | Jay Wendell Walker | Leo Flowers | Mo Mandel | Mike E. Winfield | Dylan Mandelsohn |
| 2007 | Paul Ogata | David Van Avermaete | Mike Baldwin | Dennis Gaxiola | Kellen Erskine |
| 2008 | Steve White | Derek Lengwenus | Tyler Boeh | Leif Skyving | |
| 2009 | Tom Simmons | Danny Bevins | Maureen Langan | Jarrod Harris | Rodger Lizaola |
| 2010 | Auggie Smith | Tony Dijamco | Kurt Swann | Solomon Georgio | |
| 2011 | Sean Kent | Alex Koll | Sal Calanni | John Hastings | AJ Finney |
| 2012 | Tony Baker | Mike Merryfield | Dave Williamson | ||
| 2013 | Samuel J. Comroe | Brendan Lynch | Drennon Davis | Matthew Broussard | |
| 2014 | Kabir Singh | Dan Gabriel | Lars Callieou | John McClellan | Kurt Weitzmann |
| 2015 | Myles Weber | Pat Burtscher | Stuart Thompson | Rodger Lizaola | Ken Garr |
| 2016 | Alex Elkin | Trenton Davis | Mitch Burrow | Ehsan Ahmad | Chris Griffin |
| 2017 | Ellis Rodriguez | Tyrone Hawkins | Mark Smalls | Matt McClowry | Chris Bennett |
| 2018 | Dave Nihill | Cristian Machado | Dauood Naimyar | Mike Baldwin | Kris Tinkle |
| 2019 | Sterling Scott | Gina Stahl-Haven | Anthony K | Pauline Yasuda | Clay Newman |
| 2021 | Ryan Goodcase | James Hancock III | Chelsea Bearce | Orion Levine | Ian Levy |
| 2022 | Chris Riggins | Wyatt Cote | Mario Hodge | Max Eddy | Joe Abousakher |
| 2023 | Gary Anderson | Luca Cupani | Marcus Williams | Paco Romane | Chad Opitz |
Marsha Warfield, in 1979, became the competition's first African-American winner and its first female winner. She is also the only woman to win in the entire history of the SFICC.
Among the big names who entered, but did not advance to the semi-finals are Roseanne Barr, Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Christopher Titus and D.L. Hughley.
Don Friesen won in 1999 and again in 2005, making him the only person to have won the competition more than once.
Paul Ogata's win in 2007 was the first by an Asian-American comedian in 32 years of the competition.
After 44 years of holding the event annually, the competition did not run during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition returned in 2021.