Jury
The European Cartoon Award Panel of Judges is composed of prominent figures in the world of editorial cartoons, journalism and activism. The winner of last year’s edition of the ECA is also invited to sit on the jury.
The Panel of Judges
Stine Jensen
Prof. Dr Stine Jensen is a philosopher and writer. She currently works at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam as an endowed professor of Public Philosophy. For the Dutch Broadcasting Company HUMAN, she made the four-part podcast De Cartooncrisis on cartooning and the freedom of speech. She is a regular contributor to the Dutch national newspaper NRC Handelsblad and publishes nonfiction books. She also writes children’s philosophy books, on topics such as emotions, friendship, and happiness. Her children’s book Dear Stine, do you know? She won a Zilveren Griffel, a Dutch award for best children’s books.
Akudo McGee
Dr. Akudo McGee (PhD) works for the digital and human rights NGO The London Story as an advocacy and communications officer in the Netherlands. She earned a PhD at Maastricht University where her research focused on civic mobilisation in Poland in defence of the rule of law and human rights. She’s an expert in civic mobilisation and autocratic legalism and has closely followed the rule of law crisis in the EU. She completed her master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam where she focused on refugee integration in challenging social and economic environments.
Melissa Chan
Melissa Chan is an Emmy-nominated journalist based in Berlin. She is co-author of a debut graphic novel, YOU MUST TAKE PART IN REVOLUTION, in collaboration with Chinese Australian artist Badiucao. The work imagines a fascist U.S. at war with a techno-authoritarian China. IGN listed it as one of its most anticipated comics of 2025, and MSNBC calls it “a salient warning and a welcome addition to the increasingly popular dystopian literary canon in America.”
Godfrey M wampembwa (Gado)
Godfrey M. Wampembwa, known as Gado, is a Tanzanian-born editorial cartoonist and graphic journalist currently with The Continent. His work has appeared in international outlets including Daily Nation, Le Monde, and Deutsche Welle. He is co-founder of Buni Media and creator of the long-running satirical TV show The XYZ Show. Gado is a Prince Claus Laureate and recipient of multiple international awards, including Cartooning for Peace (2016) and France’s Order of Arts and Letters (2022).
Tjeerd Royaards (2025 winner)
Tjeerd Royaards is an award-winning Dutch editorial cartoonist living in Amsterdam. He currently works for the Dutch newspaper Trouw. Internationally, his work has been published by the Washington Post, the New York Times, BBC, CNN, the Guardian, Le Monde, Courrier International, and many others. He is Editor-in-Chief of Cartoon Movement, a global platform for editorial cartoons and comics journalism.
