On a rainy Wednesday night in late May, the crowd at Comedy Works Downtown was buzzing. Inside the intimate club, eleven comics took the stage one by one, each with five minutes and a chance to make their mark in the venue's New Faces Contest.
One comic wore a leopard-print jumpsuit and joked about weed. Another, clad in a blue suit, riffed about Stevie Wonder driving. There were bits about being mistaken for “fat Drake,” discovering your wife is a lesbian, learning your mom lied to you about being Native American and so much more.
The laughs were loud, the nerves were palpable and the competition was fierce. That variety — in both content and character — is what makes the New Faces Contest a standout every year. It’s where first-time comics find their footing, seasoned hopefuls vie for recognition and hundreds of Coloradans gather each summer to witness the future of comedy.
"This year's contest has been really strong so far," says Comedy Works' general manager, Ashley Chapa. "But building a schedule for 168 contestants over fourteen weeks [in the first round] is always an insane feat. I really did try to make sure that everybody was as evenly matched as they could be. The scores this year are really close. Everyone has been bringing their A-game."
Now in its 25th season, the summer-long competition has become a signature event for Denver’s stand-up scene. With just over 250 comics applying and 168 selected to perform, it’s the longest-running and most competitive showcase of local stand-up in the state. The contest kicked off on April 16 and runs through September 17, culminating in one comic taking home the $1,500 grand prize and the bragging rights that come with it.
But if you ask Chapa, the money is only part of the point. “It’s a rite of passage,” she says. “Some of these people work on their contest set for the majority of the year. If they don't move on, they’re already working on a better one for next year. That’s what the contest does — it pushes people to get better.”
While the crowd cheers and the comics sweat under the spotlight, the structure behind the scenes is carefully calibrated. In order to enter the contest, each comic pays a $20 fee. That fee helps fund the prize pot: $500 for third place, $1,000 for second and $1,500 for the champion. Once chosen, each comic has exactly five minutes to perform.
"They used to give a big cushion for time," Chapa says. "So it was a five-minute set, but they would cut you at five minutes and thirty seconds, and I was like, ‘That's not a five-minute set. A five-minute set is a five-minute set; that was a five-minute and thirty-second set.’ Now we'll cut your mic at one or two seconds over because it's supposed to be five minutes, and we’ve got a lot of other people in this contest."
To determine who advances each night, Comedy Works recruits a handful of audience members to act as unofficial judges. The top scorers from each round advance, with a wildcard round offering second-chancers one last opportunity to make the cut. This year’s wildcard show is July 23, "which, arguably, is the best show besides the finals in the whole contest," Chapa says. "But don't tell the other rounds I said that!"
Though the contest has evolved in some ways, it still carries on traditions established by the late Deacon Gray, longtime steward of Comedy Works’ New Talent program. One of those enduring rituals involves how performers are slotted into the lineup.
“Everyone randomly pulls out a poll ball from a Crown Royal bag," Chapa says. "Maybe this is too vulgar, but I always say, ‘May Deacon’s balls be with you,’ because that's what they are."
As the contest heads into the thick of summer, the stakes and punchlines are only getting sharper. With Round One running on Wednesdays through July 16, audiences still have several weeks to catch these comics-in-the-making before the competition narrows. The highly anticipated wildcard round follows on July 23, offering a few fan favorites a shot at redemption before Round Two begins in August. The grand finale, set for September 17, will crown one winner from this year’s massive pool of talent.
“As a form of camaraderie, it’s a really good part of the comedy scene,” Chapa says. “Although I know people are sad when they don't move on, and it's sad for me to watch them not move on when I know they had a great set, this is where the Denver comedy scene thrives. We have so many people put their best foot forward. While we wish we could advance everyone, it’s an honor to compete.”
As Comedy Works celebrates 25 years of New Faces, the competition remains a microcosm of everything that makes Denver’s comedy scene so vibrant — scrappy, supportive and just a little unhinged.
“Competing in New Faces is a badge of honor,” Chapa says. “This city’s comedy scene is still growing. We had more submissions this year than ever before. More people are finding themselves in a place where they want to work hard at stand-up. You can see that reflected in the contest.”
New Faces Contest 2025, through Wednesday, September 17. Learn more and get tickets at comedyworks.com.
One comic wore a leopard-print jumpsuit and joked about weed. Another, clad in a blue suit, riffed about Stevie Wonder driving. There were bits about being mistaken for “fat Drake,” discovering your wife is a lesbian, learning your mom lied to you about being Native American and so much more.
The laughs were loud, the nerves were palpable and the competition was fierce. That variety — in both content and character — is what makes the New Faces Contest a standout every year. It’s where first-time comics find their footing, seasoned hopefuls vie for recognition and hundreds of Coloradans gather each summer to witness the future of comedy.
"This year's contest has been really strong so far," says Comedy Works' general manager, Ashley Chapa. "But building a schedule for 168 contestants over fourteen weeks [in the first round] is always an insane feat. I really did try to make sure that everybody was as evenly matched as they could be. The scores this year are really close. Everyone has been bringing their A-game."
Now in its 25th season, the summer-long competition has become a signature event for Denver’s stand-up scene. With just over 250 comics applying and 168 selected to perform, it’s the longest-running and most competitive showcase of local stand-up in the state. The contest kicked off on April 16 and runs through September 17, culminating in one comic taking home the $1,500 grand prize and the bragging rights that come with it.
But if you ask Chapa, the money is only part of the point. “It’s a rite of passage,” she says. “Some of these people work on their contest set for the majority of the year. If they don't move on, they’re already working on a better one for next year. That’s what the contest does — it pushes people to get better.”
Georgia Comstock hosted a recent Comedy Works New Faces Contest.
Courtesy of Ashley Creative Co. (@ashleycreativeco)
"They used to give a big cushion for time," Chapa says. "So it was a five-minute set, but they would cut you at five minutes and thirty seconds, and I was like, ‘That's not a five-minute set. A five-minute set is a five-minute set; that was a five-minute and thirty-second set.’ Now we'll cut your mic at one or two seconds over because it's supposed to be five minutes, and we’ve got a lot of other people in this contest."
To determine who advances each night, Comedy Works recruits a handful of audience members to act as unofficial judges. The top scorers from each round advance, with a wildcard round offering second-chancers one last opportunity to make the cut. This year’s wildcard show is July 23, "which, arguably, is the best show besides the finals in the whole contest," Chapa says. "But don't tell the other rounds I said that!"
Though the contest has evolved in some ways, it still carries on traditions established by the late Deacon Gray, longtime steward of Comedy Works’ New Talent program. One of those enduring rituals involves how performers are slotted into the lineup.
“Everyone randomly pulls out a poll ball from a Crown Royal bag," Chapa says. "Maybe this is too vulgar, but I always say, ‘May Deacon’s balls be with you,’ because that's what they are."
Though Chapa never met Gray before his passing, his legacy looms large. “I feel like I know him through the stories," she says. "And he’s a huge part of why we still do this. I think it's important for new comics and old comics coming in for the first time that they know about him."
Kellan Duffy participates in the New Faces Contest.
Courtesy of Ashley Creative Co. (@ashleycreativeco)
“As a form of camaraderie, it’s a really good part of the comedy scene,” Chapa says. “Although I know people are sad when they don't move on, and it's sad for me to watch them not move on when I know they had a great set, this is where the Denver comedy scene thrives. We have so many people put their best foot forward. While we wish we could advance everyone, it’s an honor to compete.”
As Comedy Works celebrates 25 years of New Faces, the competition remains a microcosm of everything that makes Denver’s comedy scene so vibrant — scrappy, supportive and just a little unhinged.
“Competing in New Faces is a badge of honor,” Chapa says. “This city’s comedy scene is still growing. We had more submissions this year than ever before. More people are finding themselves in a place where they want to work hard at stand-up. You can see that reflected in the contest.”
New Faces Contest 2025, through Wednesday, September 17. Learn more and get tickets at comedyworks.com.
