Created by their children, the William W. W. Knight and Beverley Randolph Knight honors their parents’ love of humor and the laughter that filled their home. This scholarship provides financial support to University of Virginia students currently in their 1st-3rd year who are identified as having an excellent sense of humor. We plan to host a stand-up comedy event for applicants, to be held at Alumni Hall on February 25, 2025.
Recipients are selected based on three criteria:
- Outstanding sense of humor
- Scholastic merit
- Financial need*
* Those with no financial need will be ineligible to win scholarship funds, but are welcome to participate and perform at the live event.
Scholarships will be awarded in the following categories:
- Writing—a humorous essay, comic strip, cartoon, or other written media. $4,000 scholarship.
- Live Stand-Up Comedy—applicants will provide an outline of their performance, audition, and perform at Alumni Hall. $4,000 scholarship, with $2,000 for runner-up.
Key Dates
- Application deadline in AwardSpring for writing and stand-up categories
- Auditions for stand-up comedians at Alumni Hall (all stand-up entries will sign up for an audition slot at this link).
- Live event for stand-up comedians at Alumni Hall
Stand-Up Comedy Rules and Criteria
- All work must be original.
- Stand-up comedy must be completed live and in-person at the event.
- Performances should be a maximum of five minutes.
- Your content must not be defamatory or insulting to others based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. Humor based on yourself and your own identity is allowed and encouraged.
- Be surprising and creative—push yourself beyond excessive clichéd, foul or vulgar language.
- No late entries will be permitted to participate in the competition. Spaces are limited.
- All registrants will be notified after March 1 of their status and next steps.