The five acts in the running for the prestigious annual Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2026 have been revealed.

A collaboration between the Birmingham Comedy Festival and The Glee Club Birmingham, the award show officially opens the long-running comedy/arts festival on Friday 2 October 2026.

Set up in 2014 to recognise, elevate and support rising comedy talent from the West Midlands region, this year's shortlist features Tarik Badwan, Andy Bucks, Naph, Nina Semple and Eden Voss.

Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, Tarik Badwan grew up in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The comedian/ actor/ musician made his stand-up debut in 2023 for Project Mayhem at Coventry's Sky Blue Tavern, where he attempted to play air guitar, with mixed results.

Describing his career highlight as making someone laugh so hard they fell off their chair, Tarik - who performs as character ‘Rik Goodman’ - cites such acts as Jordan Brookes, Nate Kitch and Tony Law as inspiration.

Discussing his approach to stand up, he says: "Definitely on the alternative spectrum. And just generally on the spectrum."

An astrophysics researcher at the University Of Warwick, in Coventry, Andy Bucks was tempted on stage while a student, after seeing a friend give stand up a go. An admirer of James Acaster, Stewart Lee, Marcel Lucont and Kristen Schaal, in addition to performing solo, Andy is also one half of comedy duo Low Effort Sketches.

"I like to do stupid material about obscure stuff that I care way too much about," says Andy, who has lived in Coventry for three years. "One of my friends described my style as 'acid nerd', which I think is a pretty good summary."

Birmingham born and raised, Naph resides in Small Heath. A quality assurance supervisor in the food industry, and also an arena steward, her first performance was as part of a comedy showcase at Rosie's, Broad Street, Birmingham, in June 2024, upon completing a stand-up course led by comedians/ tutors James Cook and Andy White.

A fan of Milton Jones, Richard Blackwood, Frankie Boyle, and "anyone from Mock The Week", Naph now hosts her own regular stand up nights, HaHaLal Comedy, and describes her material as "deadpan, dark, one liners, observational."

Having completed the Jill Edwards Comedy Course, in Brighton (where she studied Drama and English Literature at uni’), Nina Semple's first official gig was on her birthday, in April 2023.

Raised in Shirley, Solihull, and the Birmingham suburb of Yardley, the radio production coordinator is currently working on her first solo show, and mentions Miranda Hart, Dora Bryan, Victoria Wood, Joe Lycett, Harriet Kemsley and Bob Mortimer as some of her comedy faves.

Of her own comedy, Nina says: "It’s very silly and maybe confusing at times, because I am always confused. Sometimes there’s songs and PowerPoint slides, and other times there’s just me wearing different hats and smiling. I think it’s always quite happy."

Hailing from Sutton Coldfield, Eden Voss is now based in Solihull. Having completed stand up courses with Rachel Sambrooks and James Cook, Eden made his stage debut at Queer As Joke in July 2025 with just 10 minutes notice.

"My style of comedy is mostly stories pulled from personal experiences as a neurodiverse gay man," says Eden, who mentions Victoria Wood, French and Saunders and Ronnie Corbett amongst his influences. "I love making people laugh and being diagnosed late in life with ADHD and Autism I wanted to help destigmatise neurodiversity by showing another side of it. I think of it as hiding broccoli in the mashed potatoes."

The Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award has previously handed out it’s famed ‘Mug Of Victory’ trophy to such acts as Josh Pugh (2015; Live At The Apollo, Stepping Up, Mitchell & Webb), Celya AB (2019; Saturday Night Live UK), Hasan Al-Habib (2023; BBC Two's Pilgrimage), and Tom Towelling (2024; Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award Winner 2025). Ryan S Lewis was 2025's recipient, while previous nominees have included Eric Rushton (Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award 2023), Lindsey Santoro (NextUp’s Biggest Award In Comedy 2023) and Jack Kirwan, aka Gary Powndland.

The city-wide Brum festival - which debuted in 2001, and this year includes over 100 performances - runs from Friday 2 to Sunday 11 October 2026 and welcomes appearances from such names as Daniel Sloss, Jason Byrne, Laura Smyth, Stevie Martin, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Olga Koch, Paul Foot, Matt Richardson and Serena Terry.

Officially launching the festival, the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award takes place at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on Friday 2 October 2026, and is compered by James Cook, with a Special Guest to be announced. For tickets and more information, see: bhamcomfest.co.uk