About
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. We award courage and quality in the field of cartooning and foster conversation on the topic of Europe.
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: often just a single image, they hold up a mirror, make change negotiable and induce public debate.
Cartoons are an important part of an open debate, of questioning both old ideas and introducing new ones. Yet, more than any other form of journalism, cartoons are feeling the strain of the shrinking space for freedom of expression.
To encourage cartoonists to continue their essential task, we have launched the European Cartoon Award, worth €10,000.
Cartoonists are an ‘endangered species’: they increasingly face resistance, threats, and sometimes even censorship. Their space is increasingly restricted, both in literal ‘airtime’ and in the themes they address.”
Thomas van Neerbos
Director European Press Prize
ECA 2022 in numbers
Countries
represented
Submissions
received
Cartoons
submitted
In these unprecedented times of polarization, there is an increasing lack of understanding for the perspective of the other. The power of political cartoons is to offer an opening to the truth of the other with irony, humor and sharpness.
Gonny Willems,
director Studio Europa Maastricht
About Studio Europa Maastricht
Studio Europa Maastricht is a centre of expertise for Europe-related debate and research founded in 2018 and supported by the partners of the Maastricht, Working on Europe programme: Maastricht University, the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht. Together we aim to position Maastricht, the capital of Limburg, as a meeting place for citizen dialogue and debate and establish a centre of excellence for research on Europe and European integration.
Contact: info@studioeuropamaastricht.nl
