The Yes, And… Laughter Lab (YALL) will not be accepting applications for its fellowship program in 2026. The next open application period is scheduled to take place in May 2027. 

About the Yes, And… Laughter Lab

The Yes, And Laughter Lab (YALL) invites comedy creators to apply for a chance to receive some training, some money, and an opportunity to pitch their project to a room full of potential allies and partners. YALL is a pipeline for the best comedy projects that address pressing social issues.

YALL selects a limited number of Fellows with original comedy projects from the pool of applicants. Fellows present their original projects at the Pitch Showcases at YALL Comedy Fest in New York City (April 8-10, 2026), to a curated room of traditional and digital media platforms, grantmakers and investors, leading NGOs/nonprofits, production companies, and other select industry players. Through the showcase, YALL builds support around each comedy project to accelerate its impact and influence.

YALL also provides year-round pitch training and other professional development opportunities for Fellows to take their project to the next level. Fellows attended an intensive in-person training in Los Angeles the weekend of November 7-10, 2025. 

YALL identified thirty-four applicants as runners-up Finalists. The Finalists received public recognition of their status as members of the YALL 2026 cohort and received invites to participate in year-round virtual trainings and other networking offerings from YALL, including the opportunity to perform at YALL Comedy Fest.

The Yes, And... Laughter Lab is a project of The Center for Media & Social Impact based at American University’s School of Communications and Moore+Associates, in partnership with 3Arts Entertainment, A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment, Above Average, Artists First, BoomGen Studios, CAA Foundation, CAPE, Caring Across Generations, ViacomCBS, Color Creative, Color of Change, Comedy Central, Define American, GLAAD, GloNation, Harness, Imagine Artist Management, Irony Point, Key Rat Inc., Levity Entertainment, MGM, MPAC Hollywood Bureau, MuslimArc, National Lampoon, NBCUniversal, NBCU Launch, Netflix, The Opportunity Agenda, Pillars Fund, Powderkeg Media, RAINN, RespectAbility, Spotify, Starfish Accelerator, Topple Productions, TBS, truTV, Wise Entertainment and WV Entertainment.

Thinking of applying in the future?

Sign up for our mailing list here. Make sure to follow the Yes, And… Laughter Lab on Instagram and Twitter/X @YALLcomedy. To learn more about our programming, check out our YouTube channel. To get in touch, please contact us at info@yesandlaughterlab.com.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See the 2025-26 Official Rules here or at www.yesandlaughterlab.com/apply for specific entry periods, complete entry details, judging criteria, and prize descriptions. Void where prohibited.

The personal information collected through this Contest (if any) is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy, located at https://www.american.edu/policies/privacy-notice.cfm and is subject to Submittable’s privacy policy, located at https://www.submittable.com/privacy.