The National Cartoonists Society, whose first President was a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, has, in solidarity with the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, written a letter to the Pulitzer Prize Board seeking a return of Editorial Cartooning as its own, distinct, category.
As an organization representing cartoonists, we are deeply concerned about the decision to retire the “Editorial Cartooning” category for the Pulitzer prizes. We appreciate that the Pulitzers are expanding the types of cartooning and art that are award-worthy. We have done the same with our own awards. However, just as “News Photography” and “Feature Photography” are different, “Illustrated Reporting and Commentary” and “Editorial Cartooning” are two distinct genres of work and should be separate categories.
We ask that the Pulitzer Board officially retain “Editorial Cartooning” as its own category in addition to recognizing the category of “Illustrated Reporting and Commentary.”