| Seattle International Comedy Competition | |
| Genre: | Stand-up comedy |
| Premiere: | 1980 |
| Location: | Seattle, WA, U.S. |
| Website: | http://seattlecomedycompetition.org/ |
The Seattle International Comedy Competition is a month-long stand-up comedy competition held at various venues throughout Washington State. It has been held every year since 1980[1] until 2020, when the competition was not run due to pandemic restrictions.
Contestants are scored by a panel of judges, not by audience vote. 32 contestants are divided into two week-long heats. The 5 top-rated performers from each heat meet for a week of semi-final performances, and the top five of those compete in the finals week.[2]
Many well-known comedians and actors have competed, including 1997 winner Mitch Hedberg, Aisha Tyler, Christopher Titus, Ron Funches, Arj Barker, Sean Kent, radio host Bill Radke, Dwight Slade, Dax Jordan, Auggie Smith, Tom Cotter, Joe Klocek, Jeff Dye, Josh Gondelman, Anne Edmonds, Ria Lina, and Rory Scovel.
The winner of the 2016 Seattle International Comedy Competition was Preacher Lawson.
The winner of the 2019 Seattle International Comedy Competition was Nancy Norton, who became the second of only two (2) women to ever win the Seattle International Comedy Competition, following the late Peggy Platt, who won in 1985. The 2021 Champion, Danny Martinello, also becomes the second of only two (2) Canadian citizens to ever win the competition, following Damonde Tschritter in 2006.
The 2022 champion, Ari Matti from Estonia, became the first performer hailing from outside of North America to ever win the Seattle International Comedy Competition.
| Year | Winner | Runners-Up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||
| 1980 | David Silverman | Dave Parsons | Peter Anderson | Colin Campbell | Gary Larson |
| 1981 | Evan Davis | Peggy Platt | Arnold Mukai | Jan Barrett | |
| 1982 | Gary Larson | Chris Alpine | Arnold Mukai | W.D. Hall | Ross Shafer |
| 1983 | Peggy Platt | Arnold Mukai | Steve Smith | Dale Irvin | |
| 1984 | Billy Jaye | Peggy Platt | Rod Long | Robert Jenkins | Earl Burks |
| 1985 | Peggy Platt | Mike "Boats" Johnson | John Johnson | James Stephens III | |
| 1986 | Chris Alpine | Monty Hoffman | Robert Jenkins | James Stephens III | |
| 1987 | Rod Long | James Stephens III | Brad Upton | Jebb Fink | |
| 1988 | Steve Stajich | Brad Upton | Mike Ferrucci | Dean Oleson | Mike Wally Walter |
| 1989 | Matt Weinhold | Dave Wehner | Dwight Slade | Louis Johnson Jr. | Alpha Trivette |
| 1990 | Elliot Maxx | Greg Wingo | Rodney Sherwood | Andre Covington | Johnny Ray |
| 1991 | Kermet Apio | Dean Oleson | Stephen B | Rushion McDonald | |
| 1992 | Dan Almont | Earl Burks | Tracy Tuffs | ||
| 1993 | Todd Sawyer | Derrick Coleman | Mike Wally Walter | Earl Burks | Paul Lyons |
| 1994 | Kenny C | Steven Allen Green | |||
| 1995 | Floyd J Phillips | James Inman | Randy Thompson | Aisha Tyler | |
| 1996 | John McClellan | Floyd J Phillips | Dave Fulton | Kerry Talmage | |
| 1997 | Duane Goad | Heneghen | |||
| 1998 | Ron Osborne & Joe Vespaziani (tied) | n/a | Tracy Tuffs | Bengt Washburn | Arlo Stone |
| 1999 | Damonde Tschritter | Rick Kunkler | Heneghen | ||
| 2000 | Floyd J Phillips | Bryan Kellen | Heneghen | John Beuhler | Megan Mooney |
| 2001 | Dwight Slade | Bradley Lewis | |||
| 2002 | Harrold Gomez | Rob Pue | Horace HB Sanders | David Testroet | PJ Walsh |
| 2003 | Kevin Williams | Patrick Maliha | Paul Bae | Tommy Savitt | |
| 2004 | Gabriel Rutledge | Jen Kober | Tony Boswell | Joe Klocek | Vic Lippucci |
| 2005 | Lamont Ferguson | Heneghen | Sadiki Fuller | Andy Peters | |
| 2006 | Damonde Tschritter | Paul Myrehaug | Tyler Boeh | Dylan Mandlsohn | |
| 2007 | Tony Boswell | Leif Skyving | Key Lewis | Geoff Lott | |
| 2008 | Tommy Savitt | Nate Jackson | Todd Johnson | Justin Rupple | Lars Callieou |
| 2009 | Paul Hooper | Travis Simmons | Jose Sarduy | Rodger Lizaola | |
| 2010 | Billy Wayne Davis | Drew Barth | Eddie Pence | ||
| 2011 | Mike Baldwin | Rodney Sherwood | Rick Kunkler | Patrick Keane | Mrs. Hughes |
| 2012 | Michael Malone | Joe Klocek | Tyrone Hawkins | Landry | Elliot Maxx |
| 2013 | Zoltan Kaszas | Trenton Davis | Rodger Lizaola | ||
| 2014 | Nathan Brannon | Kyle Bottom | Matt Donaher | Cory Michaelis | |
| 2015 | Dino Archie | Mitch Burrow | Kortney Shane Williams | Al Park | Hans Kim |
| 2016 | Pat Burtscher | Billy Anderson | |||
| 2017 | Alex Falcone | Nick Hart | Myles Anderson | Taylor Clark | |
| 2018 | Phillip Kopczynski | Landry | Bo Johnson | Harry J Riley | |
| 2019 | James Hancock III | Adam Pasi | Andrew Rivers | Andrew Packer | |
| 2021 | Sam Miller | Tre Tutson | Matty Litwack | Wyatt Cote | |
| 2022 | Chase DuRousseau | Timmy Booth | Rodger Lizaola | Mike Eshaq | |
| 2023 | Benny Nwokeabia | Mary Lou Gamba | Birungi Birungi | Jaci Terjeson | |