The European Cartoon Award has announced a shortlist of 16 cartoons that are in there running to be crowned the best cartoon to be published in European media in the past year with the accompanying prize money of 10,000 euro! Scroll down to see the 16 cartoons.

The works of the 16 finalists were selected from over 400 entries coming from more than 25 countries, European and beyond, by a Jury composed of award-winning cartoonists, journalists, and experts. The shortlist includes several contributors to Cartoon Movement and we are especially proud the list includes two cartoons that were published on Cartoon Movement.

Niels Bo Bojesen, Danish cartoonist and Chair of the Panel of Judges:

During the lengthy process of selection, it has been rewarding to witness the variety and mastery of the many submissions, ranging from sheer poetry to stark and striking statements - and anything in between. As always it is difficult - and sometimes painful - to have to choose from an even field, but recognising the shared capacity of the members of the Jury, I am confident we have been able to help shine a light on the high level of current European editorial cartooning.

The 16 nominees are Angel Boligán (Mexico), António Antunes (Portugal), Ben Jennings (United Kingdom), Cláudio Antônio Gomes (Brazil), Cristina Sampaio (Portugal), Emad Hajjaj (Jordan), Harry Burton (Ireland), Marco De Angelis (Italy), Marilena Nardi (Italy), Mihai Gabriel Boboc (Romania), Patrick Chappatte (Switzerland), Plop & KanKr (France), Raimundo Rucke Souza (Brazil), Sinisa Pismestrovic (Austria), Tjeerd Royaards (The Netherlands), Víctor Solís (Mexico).

The prize winners will be announced on September 14, during Cartoons Day in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Patrick Chappatte (Der Spiegel)

Mihai Gabriel Boboc (FirstNews.ro)

Marilena Nardi (Domani)

Plop & KanKr (Le Monde)

António Antunes (Expresso)

Angel Boligán (Sciences Humaines)

Ben Jennings (The Economist)

Cláudio Antônio Gomes (MUNDIARIO)

Emad Hajjaj (Cartoon Movement)

Marco De Angelis (Buduàr)

Cristina Sampaio (Público)

Harry Burton (Irish Examiner)

Víctor Solís (EFEVerde)

Raimundo Rucke Souza (Cartoon Movement)

Tjeerd Royaards (Trouw)

Sinisa Pismestrovic (Kleine Zeitung)

On September 14, from the Beeld & Geluid Museum in The Hague, the European Cartoon Award (ECA) will celebrate its first Cartoons Day, a day entirely dedicated to editorial cartoons, with panels, workshops and the award ceremony of the ECA 2023 and the opening of this year’s exhibition.

You can register for the event here (it's free!).

From the ECA's press release:

One day entirely dedicated to editorial cartoons, cartoonists and to whoever enjoys this form of journalism and wants to learn more about it. This is the purpose of the first edition of the ECA ‘Cartoons Day’.

From the early afternoon until the late evening, experts, activists, artists and cartoonists will sit together in the rooms of the Beeld & Geluid Museum of The Hague for workshops and panels, book presentations and talks. They will connect with their audience, draw their cartoons, and teach the subtle art of editorial cartoons.

Among the guests, will be the President of the French organisation Cartooning for Peace Patrick Lamassoure, the winner of the Inktspotprijs 2022 Jip van den Toorn, and representatives of human rights organisations and of the Dutch government.

This event was designed by the Deputy Director of the ECA, Emanuele Del Rosso, and supported by the two founding partners of this Award, the European Press Prize and Studio Europa Maastricht.

Emanuele Del Rosso, Deputy Director of the ECA: After only four years since its inception, the ECA is one of the most important awards for editorial cartoonists. We are now able, with the help of the Municipality of The Hague and the Stimuleringsfonds voor de Journalistiek, to give birth to an event that might very well be the start of something far bigger and more important. We bring editorial cartoons to The Hague and to whoever wants to enjoy them. It is important to foster the conversation on press freedom and the power of such cartoons, because they are a powerful means for change.

Gonny Willems, Director of Studio Europa Maastricht: In the first four editions of ECA, we have received submissions from all over Europe. Editorial cartoons not only hold up a mirror to Europeans and make us reflect on our own continent, but also make us take a critical look at how we treat the rest of the world. With the 'Cartoons Day', we are taking another step in the development of the ECA by offering a deeper understanding to everyone who values press freedom and is interested in the power of cartoons.

At 18.30, after the afternoon activities, the award ceremony will begin. Every year, the European Cartoon awards €10.000 for the best editorial cartoon of the past year, and assigns two runners-up and two honorable mention awards.

The winner of the ECA 2023 will be selected by a jury of five experts in the field of editorial cartoons and journalism among the 414 entries that the Award received. The judges of this year’s edition will present the five Winners on stage.

After the Award Ceremony, an exhibition showcasing the best 40 cartoons of the ECA 2023 will be inaugurated in the main hall and entrance of the museum.

Last week, we (in the form of CM editors Tjeerd Royaards and Emanuele Del Rosso) were at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia to give a workshop about the power of cartoons. If you weren't there and didn't watch the livestream, you can watch the recording of the event:

In true workshop style, we didn't just talk about cartoons, but we challenged the audience to make a cartoon themselves. We gave them the assignment to come up with a cartoon featuring Putin and a tank, giving pointers on how to come up with the best visual.

One of the sketches made during the workshop.

In addition to the workshop, we also did some live drawing each day, showing festival attendants how cartoonists work and talking to them about the importance of cartoons.  As we've said before on multiple occasions, we strongly believe that editorial cartoons are an essential part of the journalistic landscape. To that end, we think cartoons should have a place at every edition of IJF in one form or another and we aim to be there next year as well. Here below some more impressions of our session at the festival.

All photos © Bartolomeo Rossi

Cartoon by Daniel Murphy

What is the impact of image satire and cartoons on society in 2023? Join CM cartoonists Sanaz Bagheri and Tjeerd Royaards on February 25 at the Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen (The Netherlands) where they will discuss the current state of visual satire together with Dutch cartoonist Jip van den Toorn in a discussion moderated by journalist and writer Peter Wierenga.

How do they see their role as cartoonists? What is it like to do satire in Iran or during the Nazi regime compared to an open society like the Netherlands, where do you aim your arrows? What makes a cartoon or drawing such an appropriate form for social criticism? What are the reactions to their work and how do they deal with it?

More info here.

Cartoon by Fahd

Cartoon Movement will be in Budapest (Hungary) early next month for a meet-up with the Cartoons in Court research project team. If you're interested in our research, please join us (in person or online) on November 8 for Judging Jests: Humor, Free Speech and the Law at the Central European University.