Lalo Alcaraz is 2022 Herblock Prize Winner

The Herb Block Foundation has awarded the 2022 Herblock Prize to Lalo Alcaraz.

“Powerful versatility. That is one way to describe the work of cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. Alcaraz is equally as comfortable creating a faux woodblock print to address our country’s history of racism and xenophobia as he is mocking up a blueprint to satirize a rich white billionaire with a space rocket. From a stark dripping red MAGA hat that could be the corporate logo for the bloody January 6th insurrection, to a complex movie poster parody ridiculing right-wing conspiracies, Alcaraz’s cartoons always hit their mark” – Herblock Prize’s judges statement

From the Herb Block Foundation:

Lalo Alcaraz is an award winning nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist and the creator of the syndicated daily comic strip, “La Cucaracha”, published nationwide since 2002. Lalo is winner of six Southern California Press Awards for Best Editorial Cartoon and was an editorial cartoonist for The LA Weekly from 1992-2010. Alcaraz now creates editorial cartoons for Andrews McMeel Syndication, Daily Kos, Pocho.com and various newspapers.  including Philadelphia’s Al Dia News.

The Herb Block Foundation link above presents a gallery of the winning works.

From NBC News:

Lalo Alcaraz, a Los Angeles-based political cartoonist, becomes the first Latino recipient of the prestigious 2022 Herblock Prize in recognition of his editorial cartooning and his “passion, dedication and brilliance” in covering civil rights and other issues impacting U.S. Latinos.

The $15,000 award announced Thursday by the Herb Block Foundation is named after the late Washington Post syndicated editorial cartoonist Herbert Lawrence “Herblock” Block, who for many years was best-known for his commentaries on domestic and foreign policy issues.

“No other political cartoonist working in the U.S. brings as much passion, dedication and brilliance to the fight for fair immigration at the border and justice for the Latino community. Lalo Alcaraz’s courage and unapologetic focus on these and other civil rights issues makes him a deserving recipient of the 2022 Herblock Prize,” the foundation added.

“It still doesn’t feel real to have won this big award,” Alcaraz told NBC News. 

Peter Kuper was named the 2022 Herblock Prize Finalist.