Winner takes home $25,000 and more, with runners-up Sophie Buddle and Nick Reynoldson each walking away with a cash prize of $2,500

Comedic powerhouse Maria Bamford headlined last night's Finale in Toronto

TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2018 /CNW/ - Last night, SiriusXM Canada, the country's leading audio entertainment company, crowned Winnipeg's Chanty Marostica as the winner of the ninth annual SiriusXM Top Comic competition at JFL42. Along with receiving the coveted Top Comic title, Marostica took home the grand prize of $25,000; guaranteed performances at four Just For Laughs Festivals: Just For Laughs Sydney (Australia), JFL42 (Toronto), JFL NorthWest (Vancouver), and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival; as well as a spot in a Just For Laughs television special to air on a Bell Media property in the 2019/2020 broadcast season.

For high-resolution photos and b-roll of the winner, click here

For the first time in the competition's history, the two runners-up – Sophie Buddle of Vancouver and Nick Reynoldson of Scarborough – each received cash prizes of $2,500. They will also receive TV spots at the 2019 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, as well as a co-headlining show at JFL42 in 2019.

"Thank you so so so much to the judges and to Canada for voting!" said Marostica. "Every single one of my competitors crushed it. This is a huge day for trans visibility and I'm honoured to be SiriusXM's Top Comic."

Laughter rang in the air at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre last night as the eight SiriusXM Top Comic finalists battled it out with their best material in hopes of impressing a respected panel of industry judges – and the audience, who helped decide the winner in a nationwide text-to-vote. SiriusXM's Canada Laughs (ch. 168) broadcasted the Finale live.

Celebrated comedian and star of the Netflix series Lady Dynamite, Maria Bamford, who Judd Apatow calls "the funniest woman in the world," closed out last night's Finale; hosted by Canadian comic SiriusXM's Canada Laughs host, Ben Miner.

"Canada has a reputation for producing some of the world's best comedians," said Miner. "The laugh-out-loud performances by finalists last night demonstrated the continued strength of our homegrown comedic talent. Congratulations to Chanty for delivering an outstanding set and a well-deserved win."

The Finale was a culmination of a six-month journey for Marostica. After hundreds of comics from across Canada registered for the competition in the spring, 60 contestants were selected to compete at the Calgary and Toronto auditions over six nights in May. Judges selected 18 semi-finalists to participate in a Canada-wide online vote, with 8 moving forward to last night's finale.

Top Comic is part of SiriusXM Canada's ongoing initiatives to provide exposure to Canadian talent. Last year, Gavin Matts of New Westminster, BC took home the title and grand prize, with Sterling Scott of Edmonton, AB and Graham Chittenden of Brantford, ON as runners-up. Previous winners include Chris Robinson, Derek Seguin, Faisal Butt, Pete Zedlacher, Eric Andrews, Matt O'Brien and Brian Stollery.

Canada Laughs (ch.168) features uncensored Canadian comedy 24/7 including stand-up, sketch and more, putting the spotlight on the rich pool of extraordinary talent from Canada. Canada Laughs is available to all Sirius and XM subscribers in Canada and across the U.S. and joins SiriusXM's hilarious comedy lineup, including Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Radio, Comedy Central Radio, SiriusXM Comedy Greats, Raw Dog Comedy, Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup, Laugh USA and more.

About SiriusXM Canada

SiriusXM Canada Holdings Inc., operating as SiriusXM Canada, is the country's leading entertainment company. SiriusXM creates and offers commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; and exclusive talk and entertainment. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company and on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.ca.

Join SiriusXM Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/siriusxmcanada, on Twitter at @siriusxmcanada, on Instagram at @siriusxmcanada and on YouTube at youtube.com/siriusxmcanada.

SiriusXM radios and accessories are available from retailers nationwide and online at SiriusXM. In addition, SiriusXM Music for Business provides commercial-free music to a variety of businesses. SiriusXM is also a leading provider of connected vehicles services, giving customers access to a suite of safety, security, and convenience services including automatic crash notification, stolen vehicle recovery assistance, enhanced roadside assistance and turn-by-turn navigation.

SiriusXM Canada has been designated one of Canada's Best Managed Companies nine years in a row and is currently a Platinum Club Member.

About JFL42

Established in 2012 and now in its seventh year, JFL42 is a pass-based interactive comedy Festival in Toronto created by Group Just For Laughs. Developed with a mandate to celebrate the most hilarious, innovative, riveting and relevant comedy experiences in the world with Toronto audiences, JFL42's unique interactive pass-based ticketing and reservation system makes it the first comedy festival of its kind. In addition to JFL42, Just For Laughs has produced the world's most prestigious comedy festival in Montreal for the past 35 years and in recent years has launched festivals in Sydney, Vancouver, and London, England.

SOURCE Sirius XM Canada Inc.

For further information: Media Contacts: Andrea McLoughlin, KWT Global, [email protected], 416-307-2395; Kelly Price, KWT Global, [email protected], 416-307-2365