Sara Pascoe Takes Home Top Honors at Inaugural Jilly Cooper Award
Comedian and novelist Sara Pascoe has been awarded the inaugural Jilly Cooper prize, a top honor bestowed upon her for her novel "Weirdo", which has left critics praising its brilliant bawdy wit and subversive storytelling. Pascoe's work is a perfect embodiment of the award's namesake's spirit, with judges declaring that Cooper herself would have been thrilled by Pascoe's novel.
At the 2025 Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) prizes ceremony, Pascoe took home the top prize for her debut novel, which has been described as "a smoothie-maker of a mind" capable of subverting readers' expectations. The CWIP awards, founded by writer and comedian Helen Lederer, aim to celebrate witty, intelligent writing by women and non-binary authors across various formats.
Pascoe's novel follows the chaotic life of narrator Sophie, whose unpredictable nature has left reviewers eagerly anticipating their next move. "Part of the joy of Weirdo is not knowing what to expect," writes Guardian reviewer Ella Risbridger, adding that Pascoe's work will "stick with you for a long time".
The CWIP awards have expanded this year to include a self-published novel category, recognizing independent female authors such as Ruth Foster and Kay Wilson. Other winners include Nussaibah Younis for her debut Fundamentally, which explores faith, sexuality, and deradicalization through humor, and Holly Gramazio for The Husbands, a satire on modern dating.
The judges' unanimous choice in the published novel category was Younis's Fundamentally, which carries a £3,000 prize. Her book centers on a queer Muslim academic working to deradicalize Islamic State brides, using humor to explore questions of faith and sexuality. The CWIP awards aim to support writing that embodies Jilly Cooper's spirit of "brilliant bawdy wit" and celebrates female voices in the literary world.
The inaugural Jilly Cooper prize has set a high bar for future winners, with founder Helen Lederer declaring that this year's novel is a contender for today's modern British novel.
Comedian and novelist Sara Pascoe has been awarded the inaugural Jilly Cooper prize, a top honor bestowed upon her for her novel "Weirdo", which has left critics praising its brilliant bawdy wit and subversive storytelling. Pascoe's work is a perfect embodiment of the award's namesake's spirit, with judges declaring that Cooper herself would have been thrilled by Pascoe's novel.
At the 2025 Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) prizes ceremony, Pascoe took home the top prize for her debut novel, which has been described as "a smoothie-maker of a mind" capable of subverting readers' expectations. The CWIP awards, founded by writer and comedian Helen Lederer, aim to celebrate witty, intelligent writing by women and non-binary authors across various formats.
Pascoe's novel follows the chaotic life of narrator Sophie, whose unpredictable nature has left reviewers eagerly anticipating their next move. "Part of the joy of Weirdo is not knowing what to expect," writes Guardian reviewer Ella Risbridger, adding that Pascoe's work will "stick with you for a long time".
The CWIP awards have expanded this year to include a self-published novel category, recognizing independent female authors such as Ruth Foster and Kay Wilson. Other winners include Nussaibah Younis for her debut Fundamentally, which explores faith, sexuality, and deradicalization through humor, and Holly Gramazio for The Husbands, a satire on modern dating.
The judges' unanimous choice in the published novel category was Younis's Fundamentally, which carries a £3,000 prize. Her book centers on a queer Muslim academic working to deradicalize Islamic State brides, using humor to explore questions of faith and sexuality. The CWIP awards aim to support writing that embodies Jilly Cooper's spirit of "brilliant bawdy wit" and celebrates female voices in the literary world.
The inaugural Jilly Cooper prize has set a high bar for future winners, with founder Helen Lederer declaring that this year's novel is a contender for today's modern British novel.
The Jilly Cooper Award is totally due for Sara Pascoe - she's been killing it in the comedy and writing scene! I mean, have you read "Weirdo"?? 
It's like, so smart and funny and just... perfect. The way Pascoe's got that bawdy wit going on, it's like Jilly Cooper herself is back, minus the controversy (lol). But seriously, this award is all about celebrating women who aren't afraid to push boundaries and make us laugh. I'm loving how the CWIP awards are expanding to include self-published authors too - it's a total game-changer for indie female writers like Ruth Foster and Kay Wilson. Nussaibah Younis's Fundamentally is giving me LIFE, btw... her book on faith, sex, and deradicalization is so refreshingly funny and smart.
. And yeah, £3k isn't bad either 
. The fact that the judges chose Fundamentally over Weirdo might be a bit snobbish, but overall, this is a win for women writers who aren't afraid to push boundaries 
.
it's like she's bottled up the sassiest wit in her book and just poured it all out 
also love how the cwip awards are pushing for more visibility of independent female authors like ruth foster and kay wilson 
!! she totally deserved it tho, her book is like the ultimate riot grrrl of storytelling 
weirdo is like the perfect blend of humor and heart, you know? pascoe's writing style is just so unique and refreshing after all the same old stuff we get in literary fiction 
i mean, jilly cooper would've been super proud too lol. can't wait to read more from saras future books, she's def going to be a household name now 
Ruth Foster and Kay Wilson deserve so much recognition for their work! Maybe this will inspire more people to take a chance on self-published novels 
It's so awesome that these books are being recognized and celebrated, it's like they're spreading this amazing positivity and empowerment vibes 
. I'm obsessed with Pascoe's narrator Sophie, she's literally my spirit animal 