The division categories include: Television Animation, Feature Animation, Newspaper Illustration, Gag Cartoons, Greeting Cards, Newspaper Comic Strips, Newspaper Panel Cartoons, Magazine Feature/Magazine Illustration, Book Illustration, Editorial Cartoons, Advertising Illustration, Comic Books, Graphic Novels and On-Line Comic Strips.

Entries are due by February 6, 2012. Details on where to send the entries are listed at NCS President Tom Richmond’s blog. You don’t have to be a member to enter, but you do have to meet their membership requirements to win. Winners will be announced at the NCS 66th Annual Reuben Awards Dinner in Henderson NV on Memorial Day weekend 2012.

Regarding the trip Sam says, “In 35 years as a professional illustrator and cartoonist, I have never felt such satisfaction and pride in what I do as when I have sat and drawn — and spoken with — the men and women who are out here protecting our country. It has been not only a pleasure but a privilege to spend a little time with them and to do a little drawing as a sign of appreciation for their efforts.”

Alan: Of the 34 presidents so far, only four have served more than one term – you being one of them. How did end up serving two terms?

Jeff: I was clearly one of only four guys who the members of the NCS felt was stupid enough to say, “OK, I’ll do it again.”

Alan: In the last four years which Reuben weekend did you enjoy the most and why?

Jeff: Ah… so it is a Sophie’s choice you want from me… well, as with all children, they each had there ups and downs. I was lucky enough to have four great cities: New Orleans, Hollywood, Jersey City (yes, Jersey City) and Boston and they each were supported by our membership and each was unique. There were highlights of each: New Orleans had the Habitat for Humanity and an elegant hotel in a city that was needing of support. Hollywood was in a modern hotel smack in the middle of the entertainment capitol and as a big bonus Cathy Guisewite graciously opened her home for dinner on the Sunday. Jersey was a surprise to most, I think, because of the incredible views in another modern hotel that gave you the feel of New York City, without the cost, and the Sunday Gag Cartoon Smackdown was certainly well received. Finally, Boston was just the whole package, a gorgeous grand hotel, in a great city and the Sunday public event benefiting the BCAE… However, what was the biggest contributor to any of the weekends success? No, not the overabundance of beverages and food, but it was the people who attended and for that I was very grateful.

Alan: Looking back were there any particular challenges that stick out as needing to be addressed as an organization and are you happy with the outcome?

Jeff: Luckily, I had a series of predecessors to my job who had done such a phenomenal job that when I took over I could hit the ground without having to worry too much about doing anything except not screwing it all up… I tried to open up the society as much as I could to fields of artists that are under represented, animators, illustrators, etc,… it is a slow process but I think we are getting more and more in their view and that will cause them to have more interest… and will therefore make the NCS more relevant to the world today. I was very pleased to have furthered the outreach to our military and hospitals with the enormous help of Jeff Bacon and the USO.

Alan: Was there anything you wish you could have accomplished but for whatever reason weren’t able to?

Jeff: People still perceive the NCS as being only newspaper comic people and that needs to change. I think it is very important that we continue to grow our membership to all fields of art and cartooning but we also maintain the highest standards for membership… it is not an easy process but I know with the current board and Tom Richmond leading that will be done.

Alan: Advice for Tom Richmond and succeeding presidents?

Jeff: Don’t screw it up… and be careful about the open bars (especially if the Aussies are attending)

Alan: Where do you see the organization in 10 or 20 years from now? What do you think will change and what won’t?

Jeff: As I stated previously, I would hope we would have the top women and men from all the various fields as members and, just as importantly, that they feel it is a worthy group to be a part of. That will only happen as long as we continue to have members who are willing to look beyond their own needs and agendas and volunteer to help.

Alan: Is there anything particular about being President that you’ll miss?

Jeff: Wearing a dress.

Alan: Are there any memories that stick out in the last four years?

Jeff: Wearing a dress.

Alan: What has the NCS meant to you as a cartoonist and has that evolved over your years – especially as you’ve served as the president?

Jeff: Unlike most, I actually grew up with the cartoonists of the NCS being a regular topic of conversation (and sometimes irritation) in my family… now I know first hand why… but, I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world. I joined the Society in 1981 (obviously, they must have been letting any schmoe in at the time) and I have been treated with the utmost respect by all the members since then and I appreciated it. Only rarely was I referred to as “Little Jeffy” and that was usually just by ex-presidents or my wife. The cartoonists are a very unique group, they have the ability in most cases to be happy for others success, and seem truly interested in how others have gotten where they are and that is a rarity in this day and age (or else they are all just really good actors… no, that can’t be it, as anyone who has seen the “Godfather take-offs” can attest to). Maybe it is because we are all starting with that blank piece of paper (or screen) and know how difficult it can be to create from there… but we all do it… and whether it is seen in 1500 newspapers or 4, or highest circulation magazines or a local rag, or by 16 million web viewers or only your kids, it is the same amount of work and effort and from there it is just a lot of luck and good fortune… the only thing that has grown more than my respect for these members over the last four years is the amount of gray hair on my head… of course, I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

Alan: For those not familiar with the NCS, what are the primary responsibilities of the NCS President?

Tom: The NCS president is the chairman of the board of directors and acts as the head of the NCS in all matters. Primarily that means addressing any issues that arise, identifying and undertaking any initiatives for the organization, organizing committees and appointing committee chairmen to undertake said initiatives and oversee NCS programs or activities, plan the annual Reuben Weekends and in general boss everybody around. Apparently I also have to provide the snacks at the board meetings… nobody told me about that part.

Alan: How long have you been a member of the NCS?

Tom: I became a member in 1998 and attended my first Reubens in 1999 in San Antonio. Surprisingly I was not banned from attending future Reubens, and have not missed one since.

Alan: At what point did you become a board member in the organization and why?

Tom: I was approached by some board members and asked if I would be interested in serving on the board. The NCS has done a lot for me, and I felt I needed to give back in whatever way I could. I tried to just give them a fruitcake but somehow ended up as president.

Alan: What are the challenges you see for the organization in the next couple of years?

Tom: Our industry is changing with the evolution of entertainment and how it is delivered and consumed by readers. The biggest challenge of the NCS is to grow and evolve along with the industry.

Alan: At the end of your term, is there something you want to be able to say you’ve accomplished?

Tom: I’d like to be able to say I made some positive impact on the organization, and not just that I kept it status quo.

Alan: This last year, webcomic creators were invited to participate. Was that a one time thing or will there be more outreach and inclusion to the webcomic creators?

Tom: Webcomics creators have never been excluded from the NCS just because they did webcomics. The NCS has always been an organization of professional cartoonists, and the requirements for membership are that a cartoonist earn the majority of their income from cartooning for the past three years. The sources of income from cartooning is also evolving, making that professional determination harder to quantify. This is one of the challenges that industry evolution I mentioned before has created. Cartooning on the internet is a big part of the future of our industry, and I foresee more active participation in the NCS by web cartoonists, both at the Reubens and within the organization.

Alan: There has been a devaluation of comics in the last decade (my opinion based on declines in print medium, increase in stock art, etc. ) How does the NCS view the state of the industry and what is it doing to promote cartooning in general?

Tom: Cartooning is about a lot more than just the comics page. The NCS is not just a group of syndicated strip cartoonists… and has not been for many, many years now. Most of our members do work in other areas of print like comics, books, magazines and greeting cards as well as in advertising, TV and film animation and other media. Given all these different outlets, the cartooning industry is thriving and has an exciting future. Comics and cartoons are not something readers are going to suddenly not want to read, view and enjoy, even if where they get their comics is beginning to change. As long as people want their comics and cartoons, there will be an industry and cartoonists to create that work. The NCS will do what it’s always done: promote cartooning by networking industry professionals together, reaching out to the public about our industry and recognizing excellence in the work being done.

Alan: Mike Peters has his superman costume, you have your batman costume – any chance of the two joining forces?

Tom: We have discussed a “World’s Finest” collaboration, but Mike won’t stop hugging me long enough for me to get the armor on.

Diana Huh, is a sophomore at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she studies history. Huh was chosen from over 100 applicants for the award, which includes a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award weekend in Boston in May. The scholarship applicants submitted eight examples of their work along with an entry form that included short essays on their current and future plans in cartooning. Entries were judged by a jury of seven professional cartoonists who are members of the National Cartoonists Society Foundation.

Huh is an illustrator for UCLA’s newspaper The Daily Bruin and is presently interning at Greenhouse Studios assisting on coloring the comic “Mace and Sputnik.” She has also created an on-going web comic called “The Wayside Manor.”

Visit the NCSF for a sample of her artwork. You can see more of her stuff on deviantART.com

TELEVISION ANIMATION
Dave Filoni – Supervising Director / Production Designer, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
Dan Krall – Art Director, “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated”
Scott Wills – Art Director, “Sym-Bionic Titan”

FEATURE ANIMATION
Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, Directors, “How to Train Your Dragon”
Glen Keane, Animation Director, “Tangled”
Nicolas Marlet, Character Designer, “How to Train Your Dragon”

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
Sean Kelly
Michael McParlane
Dave Whamond

GAG CARTOONS
Bob Eckstein
Zachary Kanin
Gary McCoy

GREETING CARDS
Jim Benton
Dan Collins
Teresa Roberts Logan

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
Brian Bassett “Red and Rover”
Jeff Parker and Steve Kelley “Dustin”
Richard Thompson “Cul de Sac”

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS
Doug Bratton “Pop Culture Therapy”
Chad Carpenter- “Tundra”
Glenn McCoy “Flying McCoys”

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
Lou Brooks
Anton Emdin
Tom Richmond

BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Sandra Boynton “Amazing Cows”
Jared Lee “The 3 Wise Guys”
Mike Lester “The Butt Book”

EDITORIAL CARTOONS
Bob Gorrell
Mike Lester
Gary Varvel

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
Anton Emdin
Jack Pittman
Dave Whamond

COMIC BOOKS
Stan Sakai “Usagi Yojimbo”
Chris Samnee “Thor the Mighty Avenger”
Jill Thompson “Beasts of Burden”

GRAPHIC NOVELS
Darwyn Cooke- “The Outfit”
Joyce Farmer “Special Exits”
James Sturm- “Market Day”

Winners will be announced during their Memorial Day Weekend at the Reuben Awards dinner in Boston.

Having just received my official 2011 NCS Reuben’s Weekend brochure in the mail yesterday, I would say it’s okay to share the artwork I did for it and this year’s Reuben’s T-Shirt. NCS president Jeff Keane had me do an illustration this year that worked on both the t-shirt and the brochure, which means a lot of cartoon characters. Therefore we didn’t include any of the guest speakers this time around, but limited the “real people” to master of ceremonies Tom Gammill, NCS Gold Key Award (the NCS Hall of Fame) winner Roy Doty, the 2011 Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award recipient R.O. Blechman, and Cartoonist of the Year nominees Glenn Keane, Stephan Pastis and Richard Thompson.This year’s Reubens will be held in Boston, MA.

Check it out. Always fun to see the cartoonists caricatured.