A panel of reviewers draw up a shortlist, which is presented for public vote at the Chortle website.

[1] In 2012, Charlie Brooker won the TV award for Black Mirror and his work on 10 O'Clock Live, while Stewart Lee was awarded "best standup DVD" for the second series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.

"[4] The winners were announced in March 2018, and marked the first time that women had won more than half of the award in the live comedy category.

[8] Joz Norris, Spencer Jones’s 50-Minute Disco Experiment Son Of A Silverback by Russell Kane Awards were made despite the COVID-19 lockdown recognising comedians who triumphed despite the circumstances.

Alex Horne, Alistair Green, Archie Henderson as Jazz Emu, Catherine Bohart for Gigless, The Covid Arms, Fergus Craig, The Isolation Song Contest, Janey Godley, John Robertson, Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris, Mark Olver, Mark Watson, Munya Chawawa, Petrichor, Richard Herring, Rob Sedgebeer, Robin Ince and Cosmic Shambles Network, Stevie Martin, Tim Key, Toussaint Douglass, The Warren, Brighton were all recognised as "legends of lockdown" with awards made by video.