The application for the 2025 Yes, And… Laughter Lab Fellowship is now closed. NO exceptions will be made for those who missed the deadline.

Applicants will be informed of their status by September 12, 2025.

About the 2025 Yes, And… Laughter Lab

The Yes, And Laughter Lab (YALL) invites all comedy creators to apply for a chance to receive some training, some money, and a chance 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 will select a limited number of Fellows with original comedy projects from the pool of applicants. Fellows will present their original projects at YALL Comedy Fest in New York City (April 2026), to a curated room of traditional and digital media platforms, grantmakers and investors, leading NGOs/nonprofits, production companies, and other select industry players. We aim to build 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 will attend an intensive in-person training in Los Angeles the weekend of November 7-10, 2025. All applicants are asked to hold those dates on their calendar in the case they are selected to the program. 

YALL will also select ten or more runners-up as Finalists. The Finalists will receive public recognition of their status as members of the YALL 2025-26 cohort and will receive invites to participate in year-round virtual trainings and other networking offerings from YALL, including the opportunity to submit to perform at YALL Comedy Fest.

See Official Rules for specific entry periods, complete entry details, judging criteria, and prize descriptions.

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 2026?

The 2025 Applicant Webinar is available to view on our YouTube channel.

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

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See 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.

To get in touch, please contact us at info@yesandlaughterlab.com.

Make sure to follow YALL on Instagram and Twitter @YALLcomedy.