ASTRONAUT CITY COMEDY CONTEST RULES - 2025

Astronaut City is excited to offer its first Comedy Contest, with a potential grand prize of $2,000! The submission period will open up in September 2025. Astronaut Club members receive early access to sign up.

Entry & Participation

The contest’s first round will take place, November 11 to November 21, 2025 There will be eleven shows, with 20 slots each show.

·      Each comic will get 3 minutes to perform standup comedy in the entry round.

·      Each comic must pay $35 to enter for each spot. They can enter for one spot per night, and they are allowed to enter up to three times. Astronaut City will pick the order of the lineup.

·      Astronaut Club members will be allowed early access to sign up.

·      All participants agree to follow the policies of Astronaut City.

·      Participants can be at all levels, from open micers to professionals.

·      Astronaut City contest hosts and judges are not allowed to compete.

·      All participants must be 21+

·      Judge’s Favorite (chosen by the judges) 1st  place will advance to next round.

·      Audience Favorite (determined by audience vote) 1st & 2nd place will advance to next round.

·      If there is overlap between the Judge’s and Audience Favorite, the next place in the Audience vote will advance to ensure three unique contestants per show advance to the next round.

·      Winners will be assigned a date to participate in the next round. If a participant cannot perform on their assigned date for quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals, they forfeit their place, and an alternate may be selected.

·      There are no refunds or transfers.

·      Comics banned from Astronaut City are not allowed to participate.  

Quarter-Finals

Thirty-three winning comics will advance to the quarter-finals, which take place November 22-24, 2025. There will be 3 shows with 11 participants.

·      Each comic will be given 5 minutes to perform.

·      Judge’s Favorite (chosen by the judges) 1st place will advance to next round.

·      Audience Favorite (determined by audience vote) 1st  & 2nd place will advance to next round.

·      If there is overlap between the Judge’s and Audience Favorite, the next place in the Audience vote will advance to ensure three unique contestants per show advance to the next round.

Semi-Finals

Nine unique winning comics will advance to the semi-finals, which take place November 25, 2025. Each comic will be given 7 minutes to perform.  

·      Judge’s Favorite (chosen by the judges) 1st  & 2nd place

·      Audience Favorite (determined by audience vote) 1st  & 2nd place

·      If there is an overlap between the Judge’s Favorite and Audience Favorite, the next place in the Audience vote will advance to ensure four unique contestants move onto the next round.

·      Judges’ and audience vote decisions are final. 

Finals

Four unique winning comics will perform in the finals, which take place November 26, 2025.

·      Each comic will be given 15 minutes.

·      The judges will pick one winner who will receive $1,000.

·      The audience favorite will win $1,000

·      If the same comic wins both, they receive $2,000.

·      Judge and audience vote decisions are final.

The Prizes

GRAND PRIZE

·      The Audience Favorite of the final round will receive $1,000, a headlining show at Astronaut City in 2026, one year membership to Astronaut Club, and their name permanently displayed at the venue.  

·      The Judges Favorite of the final round will receive $1,000, a headlining show at Astronaut City in 2026, one year membership to Astronaut Club, and their name permanently displayed at the venue. 

·      If a winner wins the Audience and Judges Favorite award in the finals, they will receive a total of $2,000, a one year membership to Astronaut Club, an Astronaut City gift card for $149, a headlining show at Astronaut City in 2026, and their name permanently displayed at the venue.

·      Winners are responsible for their taxes, and a 1099 will be issued for any person who wins the $1,000 prizes.

FIRST ROUND, QUARTER-FINALS, SEMI-FINALS WINNERS

·      The first place winner of each show will receive $50 gift card to Astronaut City

·      The second place winner of each show will receive $25 gift card to Astronaut City

Judging & Advancement

Each night, there will be an audience vote and one-to-three judges for the judges vote. Audience members will be given a voting sheet, which will be tallied after performances and announced at the end of the show.

If a comic advances to the next round, they will be assigned a date to perform. If they cannot perform that date, they will forfeit their spot and an alternative will be chosen.

Judges’ and audience vote decisions are final.

Publicity Release:
By participating in the Astronaut City Comedy Contest, all contestants grant Astronaut City the irrevocable right to use their name, likeness, voice, biographical information, and any recorded footage or photographs from the contest for promotional, advertising, and publicity purposes in any and all media, without additional compensation.

General Conduct & Fair Play

·      Audience votes will be collected via ballot.

·      Contestants are expected to conduct themselves professionally and follow all policies of Astronaut City. Any form of vote tampering, harassment, or misconduct will result in disqualification.

·      The venue reserves the right to disqualify and ban contestants for violating these rules.

·      By entering, all participants agree to abide by these rules and decisions made by Astronaut City management.

**Rules, show format, and scheduling are subject to change at the discretion of the organizers. While adjustments may occur, we are committed to maintaining the integrity, fairness, and spirit of the competition throughout.