Irish writers Sharon Horgan and Michelle Gallen have been honoured at the Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) awards. During Monday night’s prize-giving ceremony at the Groucho Club London, Horgan received the honorary Witty Impact Award while Gallen won the Published Novel Prize for her book Factory Girls.
Monday was the fourth iteration of the CWIP awards which were first instituted in 2019 by Welsh comedian, actress and author Helen Lederer. According to organisers, the awards scheme is the only one of its kind in the UK and Ireland’s that “shines a light on witty novels by women”.
Award organisers said that Horgan was honoured “for her contribution to wit on the page and screen as well as changing the literary canvas with women-led comedy.” The honorary award was presented by to Horgan by Meera Syal, the recipient of the same prize last year.
Horgan has previously won a BAFTA for best TV actress for her role in Pulling while her work on Catastrophe saw her win another BAFTA in 2016 for best comedy writer. Horgan also won five IFTAs for Catastrophe, while she added another in 2021 for her role in Dating Amber.
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Gallen, born in Co Tyrone during the 1970s, has been honoured with CWIP’s top prize for her second career book, Factory Girls. Set during the Troubles in 1994, the story of a Northern Irish schoolgirl who takes a holiday job in a shirt factory was described as a “fearless, raunchy and real novel” by the judges.
Gallen, who previously studied English Literature at Trinity College, saw her first novel, Big Girl, Small Town, nominated for the CWIP print prize in 2020. This is her first major award after Big Girl, Small Town was also shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and the Kate O’Brien Award. It was also longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize. Big Girl, Small Town is currently being adapted for TV by the team behind BBC drama Gentleman Jack, after director and actor Kathy Burke bought the rights.
As part of her prize for Factory Girls, Gallen was awarded £3,000 from the Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society, a private donor and the publisher Penguin.
