David Walliams Grabs Third Nomination For Roald Dahl Funny Prize

Funny man David Walliams has completed a hat trick of sorts, after his third shortlist appearance for the Roald Dahl funny prize was announced, reports The Guardian.

He has become one of the fastest-selling authors in the UK, selling more than 20,000 books a week. His previous works: The Boy in the Dress and Mr Stink – both illustrated by Quentin Blake – were previously recognised by the award, which is named after one of the biggest children’s authors of all time. His competition comes in the form of Frank Cottrell Boyce, Philip Reeve, Josh Lacey, Jamie Thomson who are all nominated alongside Walliams in the 7-14 category. The books are competing for a 2.5k award in each category and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 6 November. The prize is administered by the charity Booktrust.

Mel Giedroyc; the author and Guardian columnist currently sitting on the judging panel had this to say about the awards: “To laugh with a book is a very special kind of laugh indeed … it's an intimate kind of laugh which says 'this is my very own private laugh and it's mine, all mine!' People envy you this laugh, they are deeply curious about it, and they wish the laugh belonged to them too. It's a sheer privilege to tap into some great laughs from some fantastic books."