Be sure to check out the full nominations in the 2026 Humor Awards Finalists pdf to learn why each person was nominated. Tune in to the Awards Show on April 29th to see the final winners!

Humor Appreciation Award

Recognizing and enjoying humor in everyday life, and celebrating it in others.

• Heidi Hanna. For turning a personal appreciation of humor (first at an AATH Conference during a dark depression) into a career of sharing its benefits with corporate leaders, professional athletes, and over 2 million LinkedIn learners.
• Tyler Horvath. For a comedic case that gratitude practices actually work, delivered by someone who would rather not admit it.
• Nancy Sue Pitt. For rediscovering her sense of humor after six years of grief, and writing in to share the exact moment she realized the laughter was coming back.

Humor Consideration Award

Knowing when humor is (and isn’t) appropriate, and making the careful call.

• Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe. For research-backed reframing of dark humor, not as a defense mechanism but as a physiological tool that creates the pause between reacting and responding.
• Allen Klein. For nearly four decades of bringing humor into hospice care, death and dying, and therapeutic loss work, including presentations at more than 100 hospices.
• Melissa Mork. For weaving humor into stories of grief and adversity in a way that lets audiences laugh without losing the weight of the moment.

Humor Curation Award

Finding and sharing the perfect meme, video, or reference at exactly the right moment.

• Rachel McCoy. For defusing an awkward Teams chat with an Adele “Hello, it’s me” GIF, and rescuing a derailing meeting with a well-timed “sooooo, would you like to hear about X? It’s a GREAT story.”
• Taylor Santore. For sending the right meme at the right moment on a small startup team, including during internal meetings, just to see if you crack.
• Lisa Yeager. For a Bill Murray (in Stripes) GIF that perfectly matched a Slack post of a cat and dog wrestling, and for the habit of reliably doing that.

Humor Creation Award

Writing or producing original funny content that sticks with you.

• Nikki Goldman. For her memoir, Lunacy is in my Family’s DNA, which turns growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, depression, and anxiety into a story readers actually want to spend time with.
• Kelly Maddox. For a test survey response (“My work life is a dream.”) that turned test data, possibly the least funny genre of writing on earth, into a small gift for her team.
• Patrick Vennebush. For a series of math-joke Zoom backgrounds (including a wrapped stick of butter that will never fit in its dish) that consistently break the ice in virtual meetings.

Humor Performance Award

Delivering humor with great timing, commitment, and energy.

• Loralee Erickson. For dropping her prepared opening to improvise a transition off the emcee, landing the laugh, and warming up a room that was about to hear a serious case for volunteering.
• Kevin Peterson. For paying for a stand-up class, actually attending it, and performing since at Madison Comedy Club, bars, a corporate gig in Dallas, and in front of a deeply unimpressed cat.
• Ed Reggi. For leaning with humor first in every interaction, whether through jokes, voices, funny faces, or the improviser’s instinct to “Yes, and” whatever shows up.

Humor Facilitation Award

Leading activities and exercises that get the room laughing together.

• Jessica Bensch. For a lifeboat icebreaker (Barbie, The Rock, Homer Simpson, and Kermit walk into a boat) that turned a 30-person group decision exercise into a memorable one.
• J. Cornelius George. For daily classroom humor that students call out by name, and the Laugh More Challenge that invites teachers and students everywhere to try it for themselves.
• Soyeong Han. For structuring humor as a clinical and community tool that helps South Korean children with pragmatic language difficulties find their own voices.

Humor Application Award

Using humor to solve a real problem or achieve a goal.

• Sabrina Juran. For making heavy topics like disaster risk and demographic change land with audiences, including a UN side-event presentation that interviewed an AI on stage and a six-panel LinkedIn cartoon where a child asks if big policy ideas fit in a suitcase.
• Tim Murphy. For opening networking introductions with a well-timed joke that resets the energy of a stiff room, and gives everyone else permission to follow.
• Ian Schmidt. For an ADKAR change-management AI training agent whose feedback on strong plans includes “That plan is a quarter pounder with cheese, a medium fry, and a Diet Coke, because I’m lovin’ it!”

Humor Empowerment Award

Using humor to lift others up and help them shine.

• Janice Bannister. For 20+ years of teaching stand-up classes to students aged 8 to 92, including a few who went on to tour comedy clubs, release Amazon specials, or marry a classmate.
• Chip Lutz. For 40 Lenten days (and then some) of daily Instagram videos bringing 60 seconds of humility, humor, and hope to audiences of every faith.
• Sarah Routman. For nearly two decades of Laughter Yoga work, a free weekly Monday laughter call (running for 12 years), and training 50+ Laughter Yoga Leaders across the US and Canada.

Congrats again to the 2026 Humor Award Finalists and thank you to everyone who submitted nominations! Very well deserved! And tune in to the Awards Show on April 29th to see the final winners!

Be sure to check out the Corporate Humor Awards full list to learn why each organization and individual was nominated. Tune in to the Awards Show on April 30th to see the final winners!

Best Positive Spin Award (Humor Enthusiast)

Honoring a moment where humor turned a tough situation into something uplifting.

• Mike Cundall – For advocating “Ta-Da Lists” to celebrate progress instead of just pushing through endless to-dos.
• Pragito Dove – For introducing laughter as a gentle gateway to meditation, making mindfulness more approachable.
• Matt’s Mum – For radiating relentless positivity in a viral video that showed the impact of supportive parenting.

Greatest Use of a Meme Award (Humor Curator)

Recognizing a meme moment that went beyond laughs to land a message.

• Miglė Miliūtė – For curating a meme list that also taught lessons about humor and communication.
• Currys – For creatively using a viral bottle-kicking video to advertise laptops in a hilarious twist.
• Mary Beth Somich – For using relatable memes to normalize therapy and open up conversations on mental health.

Most Creative Content Award (Humor Inventor)

Highlighting a single piece of written or visual content that nailed the humor brief.

• Dr. Bob (Eric Cremers) – For his dry-witted take on general practice issues and humorous “solutions” like curing phone addiction.
• synthet – For turning a niche musical explanation into a funny, fascinating breakdown on YouTube.
• Daniel Thrasher – For hilariously dissecting the creative process in a meta-sketch about being original… or not.

Comedic Performance of the Year (Humor Entertainer)

Honoring a performance that stuck in your head and tickled your funny bone.

• Darius & Jai Byrd – For reimagining modern arguments with Shakespearean flair and hilarious timing.
• Yumbo Dump – For producing belly laughs using, well… bellies, in one of the oddest and funniest sketches out there.
• Matthew V – For delivering a dramatic ballad that made ridiculous lyrics strangely moving—and hilarious.

Cleverest Humor Solution Award (Humor Engineer)

For solving a real problem using a clever and humorous approach.

• Lisa Dubois – For creating a hilarious “hide and seek” real estate video that made a house tour feel like a game.
• Visit Sweden – For responding to a country name mix-up by the U.S. President with a brilliant and funny tourism video.
• Tim Reagan – For using drama therapy and humor in classrooms to help teens and adults explore mental health with courage.

Humor Spotlight Award (Humor Advocate)

Celebrating someone who used humor to lift others up in a meaningful way.

• Restovit (Pearson VUE) – For building a joyful workplace culture through trophy traditions, meme-laced communication, and “Thwacky Thursdays.”
• Patty Posthauer – For bringing corny charm and laughter to her classroom and laughter yoga classes alike.
• Mary Morrison – For championing humor education and creating the Legacy of Laughter playbook to guide others.

Keeping Humor Positive Award (Humor Skeptic)

Recognizing a moment when someone gracefully stopped inappropriate humor and promoted better laughter.

• Anthony Jeselnik – For explaining the difference between comedy and trolling, and the responsibility humor carries.
• Eric Murray – For spotlighting ineffective “life hacks” with a sharp, humorous critique.
• Alonzo Clark – For calling out meme ungratefulness with a playful take on “Friendship Etiquette.”

Humorist of the Year (Whole Humorist)

The big one—honoring those who use humor in every aspect of life and work to make a lasting, positive impact.

• Roberta Gold – For years of inspiring others through laughter therapy, daily Zoom “Laugh-a-Lattes,” and a seemingly endless well of positivity—even after breaking her leg on her birthday.
• Robin Phoenix – For founding HEAL*ARIOUS, a powerful humor-based mental health program for Veterans and First Responders.
• Bea Bincze – For bringing humor to leadership across Europe with her Humor Ambassadors program and Humor First Aid Kit workshops.

Congrats again to the 2025 Humor Award Finalists and thank you to everyone who submitted nominations! Very well deserved! And tune in to the Awards Show on April 30th to see the final winners!

(Know someone deserving? Nominate them today!)

This year, we’re thrilled to have three distinguished judges joining us to help review nominations and choose the winners. They each bring deep expertise, decades of experience, and a shared belief that humor is a vital tool for connection, communication, and creating a positive work culture.

Meet the Judges

Bea Bincze

Executive Coach, Humor Trainer, and Charismatic Leadership Expert

Bea Bincze brings over 25 years of international leadership experience—and a serious passion for workplace humor. As an executive coach, TEDx speech coach, and soon-to-be Certified Humor Professional (CHP), Bea specializes in helping professionals enhance their communication, charisma, and adaptability by integrating humor and flow science into leadership.

She’s a global speaker, trainer, and the creator of the Humor Ambassadors Train-the-Trainer program, helping more professionals across Europe harness the power of humor. Bea is known for blending research-based strategies with contagious energy, helping individuals laugh more, complain less, and lead with greater joy.

Learn more about Bea’s programs on her website or connect on LinkedIn.

What always makes Bea smile?
A photo she keeps close to her heart—and a video that always cracks her up. Also: “When my son was a teenager, I realized he was doing his job perfectly… making me crazy!”

Roberta Gold

Recreation Therapist, Author, and Founder of Laughter for the Health of It

Roberta Gold has been helping people laugh through life for more than 30 years. As a Certified Humor Professional and Recreation Therapist, Roberta created Laughter for the Health of It, a program that’s helped organizations across industries realize that laughter isn’t just nice to have—it’s a tool for healing, growth, and better communication.

She’s a speaker, consultant, and advisor for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor’s Humor Academy, and her tailored presentations tackle everything from conflict resolution to building self-esteem through humor. She also works with domestic violence survivors to help them laugh again, and she’s an author of two books and a new journal, Laughter Rocks!, launching alongside a new podcast and journal circle in June.

Explore her work at www.laf4u.com, as well as her Facebook page and group. You can also find her on LinkedIn. 

What always makes Roberta smile?
Her 8-month-old grandson, Ezra.

Steve Wilson

Psychologist, Consultant, and Pioneer of Workplace Joy

Steve Wilson is a trailblazer in the field of therapeutic humor. A psychologist and professional consultant, Steve has spent decades helping organizations create more enjoyable, productive, and mentally healthy workplaces. With a career rooted in the powerful connection between work and well-being, Steve has championed the idea that a positive environment—fueled by a good sense of humor—can drive both personal and professional success.

He’s the recipient of the AATH Doug Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award, the founder of the World Laughter Tour, and the creator of uplifting programs that reduce stress, prevent burnout, and foster fulfillment. Though retired from full-time work, Steve continues to explore the science and spirit of joyful living—and he’s bringing that wisdom to our judging panel.

Want to connect with Steve? Reach him at Steve4joy@gmail.com

Editor’s note: We also have a great podcast interview with Steve coming out Friday, April 25!

What always makes Steve smile?
“Dad jokes! Like this one: Where does a cow go for entertainment? To the moo-vies!”

A Huge Thank You

We’re honored to have Steve, Bea, and Roberta serving as judges for the 2025 Corporate Humor Awards. Their insight, compassion, and commitment to the power of humor make them the perfect trio to help us recognize the individuals and organizations creating real change through laughter.

Get ready—nominations are open, and this year’s awards are shaping up to be our best (and funniest) yet!