About and rules

Mission

Quality journalism is of vital importance to healthy democracies – and cartoonists play a crucial role in this system of checks and balances. Their creations are the hallmark of an open society. With just a single image they hold up a mirror, make change negotiable, and foster public debate.

Cartoons are an important part of an open conversation, because they help us question old ideas and introduce new ones. Yet, more than any other form of journalism, cartoons are feeling the strain of the shrinking space for freedom of expression.

The European Cartoon Award was founded by the European Press Prize and Studio Europa Maastricht in 2019 – the year in which the New York Times decided to stop running editorial cartoons altogether. Studio Europa Maastricht and the European Press Prize aim to award courage and quality in the field of cartooning and foster conversation on the topic of Europe.

To encourage cartoonists to continue their essential task, we have launched the European Cartoon Award, worth €10,000.

Eligibility

Any cartoonist that operates in or is from any of the 46 countries of the Council of Europe, with the addition of Belarus and Russia, is eligible to compete in the European Cartoon Award.

The work submitted must have its publication date between May 1, 2022, and June 1, 2023, and must have been published in European media (Council of Europe, Belarus, and Russia).

The cartoons need to be accompanied by a description in English (250 words maximum), explaining the theme of the cartoon(s), together with an assessment of its impact and reception.

Submission

During the entry period for the European Cartoon Award, a button will become available on our website that brings you to our cartoon entry form. Please submit your cartoon(s) here and fill out the form.

The entry period for the 2022 edition is: April 20 to June 1, 2023.

Rules

Cartoonists can send in a maximum of three cartoons, either entered separately or in one entry if they are part of a series.

The work submitted must have its publication date between May 1, 2022, and June 1, 2023, and must have been published in European media (Council of Europe, Belarus, and Russia).

NB: cartoons published by the Cartoon Movement will be accepted only if marked Editor Choice.

Formats

Entries should be submitted digitally by completing the form on this website. Only complete forms can be entered. Cartoons must be submitted in JPEG format.

Applicants are required to upload images with a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels minimum.

If your caption is in any other language than English, please submit an English translation of the caption as well.

Judging procedure

After the entries have come in, they will be evaluated by the Panel of judges, in three rounds of voting.

The jury’s choices and the resulting shortlist will be published on the European Press Prize website.

The Panel of judges makes the final selection for the winner.

The following rules ensure a fair judging process:

(I) Jury members cannot enter the contest in the year they are judging.

(II) Each jury member, whether an ordinary member or chair, has one equal vote.

(III) Judges cannot abstain from voting at any stage of the judging process.

(IV) All proceedings and deliberations of each jury are conducted in confidence.

(V) All entries are coded, with identifying information removed from the text so the work is judged anonymously. At no stage of the process – and in no discussion either in or outside the judging rooms – should jury members speculate on, or reveal, any names of participating journalists, newsrooms or publications.

(VI) If the jury members recognize they are personally involved in submitted work, through either a personal or professional relationship, they must declare their interest openly at the beginning of any discussions on the work.

(VII) The judges must select a winner and a runner-up. The award ceremony of the fourth edition will take place in September 2023 in The Hague (the Netherlands).

Shortlist

After the Panel of Judges chooses the first preliminary shortlist, cartoonists can be contacted for additional material.

If you have any questions or want to recommend projects you have seen, email us at [email protected].