Editoon Awards Calls For Entry
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It’s that time of the year again, Thanksgiving is over and all of your Christmas/Hanukah shopping is done, the only thing left to do, other than drawings your daily editorial cartoons, is to go through your 2025 archives and decide which ones should be sent for consideration to the various award committees.
Here is a list of upcoming contests more or less in order of deadline dates.
National Newspaper Awards
The National Newspaper Awards expands and renames its Editorial Cartooning category following the lead of The Pulitzer Prizes:
TORONTO, December 1, 2025 – The National Newspaper Awards is now accepting entries for journalism published in 2025.
Entries will be accepted in 24 categories, including a new award for innovation in journalism.
Other changes to this year’s awards include newly named Digital Storytelling (replacing Presentation and Design) and Illustrated Commentary (replacing Editorial Cartooning), with broader criteria for entries [emphases added].
From their list of categories:
10. ILLUSTRATED COMMENTARY
CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: For exceptional illustrated opinion and commentary. Entries may include a portfolio of five editorial cartoons, examples of comics journalism and non-fiction graphic storytelling. Portfolios may include still or animated work, or both. The focus of the work is on the visual; words should be a secondary component.
REQUIREMENTS: A portfolio of five cartoons or comics that are more than a single panel or other longer graphic journalism.
FORMATS: High-res JPG format or URLs.
RESTRICTIONS: One submission per entrant. Entries must be submitted by or on behalf of a single individual.
NOTE TO JUDGES: The submissions are to be judged as a body of work. Illustrated Commentary should be judged for both the message and quality of the presentation. Does the work show originality in both message and style? Is the artist’s style distinctive? Does the work inform readers, engage readers and achieve its purpose in delivering a message?
ENTRY DEADLINE: January 11
Entry fee: $30
Entries must have been published in a Canadian publication according to the rules.
Key Dates
December 1, 2025 – Entries open
January 15 11, 2026 – Entries close
April 24, 2026 – Awards Gala
Overseas Press Club of America
OPC is now accepting applications. Entries can be submitted only through the OPC’s online submission process which will include the application, the work and a brief statement explaining why the entry deserves consideration.
Eligibility period: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
General deadline: January 30, 2026; Awards dinner: April 20, 2026
Entry fee: $200
Entries can be submitted only through the OPC’s online submission process which will include the application, the work and a brief statement explaining why the entry deserves consideration. Material may be the work of an individual, group or staff but must be on one subject or theme.
The Best Cartoon Award
Best print or digital graphic journalism, including cartoons, on international affairs.
CARTOON:
Upload high-resolution images. DO NOT SEND printed cartoons or portfolios to the OPC. Title uploads by award name, nominee’s first initial and last name and entry title (e.g.: thomas_jdoe_title1.jpg). In addition to the cartoons, submit proof of publication — for example, PDF from newspaper or magazine, or website link. Submit no more than 12 images (images 10 inches at longest dimension, 300dpi, JPEG). Upload all images and proof of publication in one zip folder.
For cartoons about international events not published originally in English, all entries in the cartoon category should have an English translation provided along with the entry submission. Submissions without a translation will not be considered.
There can only be one nominee per submission for the Best Cartoons Award category.
The OPC’s “Best Cartoon Award” remains the only award without a journalist name attached since they disassociated the award from Thomas Nast.
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Book and Journalism Awards
The 2026 RFK Book and Journalism Awards are open for submissions!
Entries are now open for the 2026 RFK Human Rights Book and Journalism Awards! To be eligible, submissions must have been published, aired, or broadcast in 2025.Each RFK Book and Journalism Award winner will receive a cash prize.
Submit by January 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET
Entry fee: $75
Cartoon
- Cartoon submissions must be presented as a body of work. Single entries will not be accepted.
- Please limit portfolios to a maximum of 15 cartoons.
The Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Awards
Nominations open: 2025 Sigma Delta Chi Awards
The Sigma Delta Chi Awards — among the premiere prizes given in the profession — recognize achievement in professional journalism in its many forms.
Entries accepted beginning November 19, 2025
Entry deadline: February 18, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
Entry fees range from $65 to $155 depending on SPJ membership and submission date.
General Rules:
The contest is open to any work published or broadcast by a U.S. or international media outlet in 2025. Freelance work is eligible. Every entry must be accompanied by a one-page cover letter.
Editorial Cartooning
For an editorial cartoon published in a newspaper, magazine, newsletter or online news site.
Illustration
For a newspaper, magazine, newsletter or online news site graphic artist or team for artwork that does not include photographic elements.
Submit a single illustration.
Clarity, originality, impact and quality of execution will distinguish the work. Entry must be a single graphic. Work designed on a computer or by hand is acceptable.
The National Cartoonists Society and The Green Eyeshade awards will open their submission windows in January 2026. The Herblock and Pulitzer organizations haven’t yet announced their 2026 call for entries. Updates will come with those announcements, until then the AAEC keeps a page handy.
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