Bend Comedy Festival Comedian Submission Guidelines

  • 5 Minute Tape (YouTube or Vimeo Link)

    Submit the five minutes of stand-up you’re most proud of. Clips may be longer, but only the first five minutes will be reviewed by the submission panel.

  • Clear Audio and Visuals

    The performance should be easy to see and hear, with minimal background noise or distractions.

  • No Major Edits

    The clip must be a single, uninterrupted performance. Social media clips are not accepted.

  • Original Content

    Material must be written and performed by you and not taken from another source.

  • Read FAQ Below For More Info

    Additional details, guidelines, and common questions are answered below.

It’s a loose rubric, break a rule if you need to. Reach out to info@bendcomedyfestival.com with any questions.

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Submission Fees

$15 Jan 1-Jan 31 | $20 Feb 1-March 31 | $25 April 1-April 30 | $35 May 1-May 15

Comedian Submission FAQ

  • We are looking for the five minutes you are most proud of available by YouTube or Vimeo link (they can be unlisted). You can provide a longer tape but the review committee is only guaranteed to watch the first five minutes.

    Start the tape right when you start speaking on stage, avoid edits that jump in time, and submit a high quality recording to have the best chance of being selected for the festival.

  • Submissions are open from January 1st to May 15th, 2026. Responses from the panel will arrive by June 1st, 2026 via the email provided to let you know if you have made it into the festival.

  • We guarantee each comedian at least three spots in the festival. These sets can range from 5 minutes to 20 minutes each.

  • No. All accepted comedians will be expected to have three completely unique sets prepared to perform over the festival weekend. There is a large overlap in audience from show to show and they don’t want to hear the same set twice.

    If you don’t have at least 15 minutes of material that you’re proud of, wait until next year to apply for the festival.

  • To ensure the best experience for our audiences, we require distinct sets for each of the three nights of this event. Joke repetition is not cool due to significant audience overlap.

    While we understand the desire for creative freedom, we expect a level of awareness and sensitivity in your material to avoid excessive offensiveness. If your material is based around excessive offensiveness you will not be invited back.

  • Our panel is looking for recent tapes, ideally within the last year, that show who you currently are as a comedian.

  • Bend Comedy Festival is built to take great care of comics and put you in front of audiences that genuinely want to be there. We offer the chance to perform on big stages, open for national headliners, and play packed shows with enthusiastic crowds.

    Accepted comedians receive covered accommodations, ground transportation, and at least one meal per day on us, plus meaningful opportunities to connect with comics from across the country. It’s a well-run festival in a beautiful place, with great shows, great hangs, and an artist-first approach.

  • We don’t directly pay submission comedians. We cover lodging in Bend over the festival weekend for accepted comedians, provide ground transportation, offer one meal per day, and have lots of free goodies from local sponsors.

  • Look at flights into RDM (Redmond Airport). It is about 20 minutes away from downtown Bend. We will help coordinate a way for you to get to Bend after landing if needed.

    Comics are expected to be in Bend from Friday early afternoon until Sunday night of Labor Day Weekend. This is a requirement to receive lodging assistance and stage time.

    Comics are welcome to fly in early and stay late to do fun Bend stuff.

  • Yes! We give free submissions to a limited number of comedians who are in need of financial assistance. Email us at info@bendcomedyfestival.com to receive a free submission code.

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