This comprehensive report analyzes critical structural data from international cartoon contests, exposing severe deficiencies in artist copyrights, low cash prizes, financial transparency, and a massive decline in printed historical catalogues
The European Cartoon Center compared 295 editions of international cartoon contests held in 2025 and 2026. For the first time, this study provides a comprehensive overview of what contest regulations stipulate regarding prizes, catalogues, exhibitions, hospitality, copyright, participation requirements, and themes.
This study is not a ranking of good and bad contests. Rather, it serves as a practical reference tool for both cartoonists and contest organizers, helping them understand what is commonly practiced within the field.
1. Purpose
This report presents the results of a comparative study of international cartoon contests in 2025 and 2026. The analysis is based on published rules and official participant figures. Its purpose is to compare international cartoon contests using various criteria and to provide both organisers and cartoonists with an overview. Organisers can use it to position themselves relative to other contests.
2. Methodology
A total of 362 published cartoon contests were screened between January 2025 and August 2026. An organisation may appear more than once when separate 2025 and 2026 editions were examined. Only international contests were included in the benchmark; contests aimed exclusively at a specific target group or geographical area were excluded.
Some contests provided too little usable information to obtain reliable results. Consequently, the study included 295 unique contest editions from 54 countries: 148 from 2025, 145 from 2026 and 2 sets of rules with a 2027 deadline.
The analysis was based on the official rules and results published on the organisers’ websites.
3. Results
3.1. Prize Package
The first criterion is the prize package offered by each contest.
A total prize package can vary considerably. We primarily examine cash prizes, which are easy to compare, but artistic visibility and hospitality are also included as criteria.
We assume that a high-quality prize package may contain several components:
- financial recognition: the total prize fund, the value of the highest individual prize and the number of separate cash prizes;
- non-cash prizes: trophies, certificates, special distinctions, solo exhibitions, and so on;
- artistic visibility: selection, catalogue and exhibition;
- hospitality: an invitation to the awards ceremony, travel, accommodation and meals, and so on.
3.1.1 Cash Prizes
To compare cash prizes, only amounts explicitly stated in the rules were considered. Missing amounts are not automatically treated as €0 in this analysis. An explicitly confirmed absence of a cash prize is treated as €0. Prizes in kind were not converted into a monetary value unless the value was explicitly stated in the rules. Prizes in currencies other than the euro were converted into euros using the exchange rate on 1 September 2026.
| Prize per edition | Available data | Median | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First cash prize | 167 | €500 | €0 | €10.000 |
| Total prize fund | 169 | €1.000 | €0 | €26.000 |
| Total number of prizes (cash and other) | 162 | 6 | 0 | 216 |
The range is wide: some contests offer no cash prize, while others offer an individual first prize of €10,000 and a total prize fund of €26,000. Because of this wide variation, the median is more informative than the average. A prize fund of €1,000 and a first prize of €500 can be considered typical for international contests.
3.1.2 Other Prizes
Non-financial prizes vary widely and therefore cannot be reduced to a single monetary value. The rules reviewed mainly mention trophies and medals, diplomas or certificates, publication prizes, purchases of original works, solo exhibitions, jury or audience awards, and invitations to a ceremony or festival.
The value of such prizes is closely linked to their reach. A trophy or certificate confirms individual recognition. A purchase or commission provides a direct return, while a solo exhibition or publication can have a lasting impact on an artistic career.
Participation certificates and diplomas for selected artists are well established.
3.1.3. Hospitality
This analysis includes only contests whose rules clearly mention an awards ceremony, amounting to 176 contests. Within this group, 51.1% provide no invitation, accommodation or travel support for the winner. Hospitality can nevertheless be a distinguishing benefit, especially when the organiser clearly specifies in advance how many people are covered, which costs are included and how long the accommodation lasts.
3.1.4. Artistic Visibility
Artistic visibility includes organising an exhibition, publishing a catalogue and any further publication. Its value differs fundamentally from that of cash prizes: it determines how long selected work remains visible and to which audience. Given its importance, it is discussed in a separate chapter.
4. Artistic Visibility
4.1 Exhibition
For 212 contests, we established that an exhibition was planned. Of the contests with sufficient information, almost two thirds organise a physical exhibition (135 of 212). We may assume that the remaining contests offer a digital exhibition on their website or social media, although the exact format is not always specified.
4.2 Exhibition Duration
The exhibition duration could be established for only 25 editions. The median duration is 30 days, meaning that a selected cartoonist can expect approximately one month of public display in a contest with an exhibition. Vague descriptions of a period without exact dates, such as “during the summer holidays”, could not be included in the calculation. Some organisers also mention travelling follow-up exhibitions, but no precise data are available for these.
4.3 Catalogue
The publication of a catalogue is explicitly mentioned in 92 sets of contest rules. Notably, 16 contests explicitly state that no catalogue is provided.
Fewer than 10% of contests (9.8%) publish a printed catalogue; 12.2% provide only a digital catalogue and 2.4% offer both printed and digital versions. In almost 7% of cases, the format is not specified.
| Catalogue | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Printed and digital | 7 | 2,4% |
| Printed | 29 | 9,8% |
| Digital | 36 | 12,2% |
| Catalogue confirmed; format unknown | 20 | 6,8% |
| Explicitly states no catalogue | 16 | 5,4% |
| Unknown/not stated | 187 | 63,4% |
Only 35 sets of rules mention a free catalogue for participants. In 33 contests, selected artists or winners receive a free copy; only 2 contests provide a free copy to every participant.
5. Participation
This chapter examines how participants can submit work to contests. The submission method is clear for 220 editions, while an exact maximum number of works is available for 114 editions.
5.1. Available Submission Channels
Email, online forms and upload platforms are now firmly established throughout the cartooning world.
Of the 220 contests that provide sufficient information, 158 accept digital submissions only and 42 allow submissions both digitally and by post. Notably, 19 organisations require paper submissions exclusively.
Postal or hybrid submission remains relevant for contests that wish to exhibit original works or draw renewed attention to drawing as a craft. However, clear information about costs, insurance and return shipping is often lacking.
| Submission route | Number | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Digital | 158 | 53,6% |
| Digital and paper | 42 | 14,2% |
| Paper | 19 | 6,4% |
| Unknown | 76 | 25,8% |
5.2 Number of Entries and Practical Barriers
For 114 editions, we collected data on the permitted number of entries. The median is 3 cartoons, and a limit of 3 to 5 can be considered typical.
6. Cartoonists’ Rights
6.1 Transparency in the Rules
All contest rules were assessed to determine how clearly they address cartoonists’ rights. In 53.6% of the rules, no information is provided on this subject. This does not necessarily mean that the organisation has no rights policy in practice, but it is nevertheless a cause for concern.
In 86 contests (29.2%), cartoons are used only for promotional purposes relating to the contest. In 32 editions (10.8%), award-winning works become the organiser’s property, while 19 sets of rules (6.4%) provide for a broader transfer of copyright.
| Cartoonists’ rights | Number | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Not stated | 158 | 53,6% |
| Promotional use for the contest | 86 | 29,2% |
| Award-winning works become organiser’s property | 32 | 10,8% |
| Full transfer of copyright | 19 | 6,4% |
6.2. FECO Quality Label
The international cartoonists’ association FECO applies a quality code whose main principle is the protection of cartoonists’ rights. Its external quality label awards up to 6 stars to cartoon organisations based on criteria such as prize money, a printed catalogue, an exhibition, the return policy, prizes and diplomas, hospitality policy, copyright, inclusiveness and reputation.
Of the total study population, 123 existing contest editions could be reliably matched with the FECO file containing star ratings awarded in 2025 and 2026.
The large majority of international contests in our study received a FECO rating of 3 or 4 stars. Only 2 cartoon contests—1 annual and 1 biennial—achieved the highest rating of 6 stars.
7. Contest Themes
A specific theme could be identified for 207 of the 295 contests. In 37 contests, an open theme was offered, sometimes in combination with another theme. A total of 170 contests had no open category, while information was unavailable for 88 contests.
Whether or not to define a theme is a strategic choice for the organiser. Frequently used social themes are recognisable, but they also compete with many similar calls. An open category lowers the participation threshold, but is less useful for exhibitions and less creatively challenging for the cartoonist. Concrete visual objects as themes offer more visual possibilities.
7.1 Main Thematic Categories
The themes were divided into clusters. This means that a theme could be assigned to several dominant categories.
Caricatures of well-known people form the largest category, with 40 mentions. Open themes or general humour and satire follow with 36 mentions, then peace, conflict and human rights with 30. People, daily life and health appear 27 times; environment and nature, and society, politics and media each appear 19 times. Technology, digitalisation and AI are visible with 13 mentions, but do not yet form a dominant thematic group.
Because contests may combine several themes, they can appear in multiple categories at the same time. The clusters show where organisers often seek recognisable subject matter and where a distinctive perspective becomes particularly important.
| Thematic category | Number of mentions |
|---|---|
| Portraits and well-known people | 40 |
| Open theme or general humour | 36 |
| Peace, conflict and human rights | 30 |
| People, daily life and health | 27 |
| Environment, climate, water and nature | 19 |
| Society, politics and media | 19 |
| Culture, heritage and local identity | 18 |
| Technology, digitalisation and AI | 13 |
8. Participant Profile
For 141 contests, we identified data on participant numbers. Of these, 82 records were complete for participants, countries and submissions, while 59 were partial. An average per country was not used to reconstruct missing country distributions or participant numbers. Unknown or inexact values were excluded.
Within the exact results, the median is 303 participants (n=113), 49 countries (n=126) and 850 works (n=103). The middle half of contests have 200–413 participants, 44–60 countries and 518–1,227 works. Note that the number of works is partly determined by the maximum number of permitted entries.
8.1. Correlations Between Contest Characteristics and Participation
To indicate the relationship between the various criteria and the participant profile, we calculate correlations. A value close to +1 indicates a positive relationship, a value around 0 indicates no clear relationship and a value close to −1 indicates a negative relationship. The results describe association, not causation.
8.2. Relationship Between Prizes and Participation
Contests with a larger prize fund generally attract more participants and, especially, more submissions. The relationship is moderately strong for participants (ρ=0.460; n=63) and stronger for the number of works (ρ=0.592; n=67). This does not prove that additional prize money causes the increase by itself; reputation, tradition and communication may also play a role.
A higher first prize is associated with more participants (ρ=0.446; n=64) and more submitted works (ρ=0.525; n=68). The relationship with the number of participating countries is smaller (ρ=0.282; n=72).
A larger number of prizes is not convincingly associated with more participants or countries. There is a modest relationship with more works (ρ=0.267; n=67), but it is too small to describe the number of prizes as an independent driver of contest growth.
8.3. Relationship Between Theme and Participation
Open themes show no significant difference in participant numbers: the median is 301 for open-theme contests and 306 for themed contests. Median submission volume is higher for an open category (1,139 versus 790 works), but the difference falls just short of significance (p=0.055).
8.4. Relationship Between Entry Limits and Participation
As expected, a higher maximum entry limit is associated with a larger total number of works received (ρ=0.397; n=50). The relationship with participant numbers is weak and not significant (ρ=0.219; n=45).
8.5. Call Duration and Participation
For 168 contests, we determined the duration of the call for entries. The average is 73.5 days and the median 65 days. A longer call period does not lead to more participants (ρ=0.06; n=68; p=0.65) or more submitted cartoons (ρ=−0.03; n=71; p=0.78). There is, however, a modest positive relationship with the number of participating countries (ρ=0.31; n=79; p=0.005). A longer period of visibility may support international reach, but does not automatically generate more participants.
Conversely, shorter publication periods do not perform demonstrably better or worse than longer ones. The current data do not allow one optimal publication date or call duration to be established. For planning purposes, 60–90 days is therefore a workable organisational range, but it should not be interpreted as a statistically proven optimum. Repeated measurements across several editions are needed to separate contest-specific seasonal and reputational effects from the duration of the call.
8.6. FECO Score and Participation
The amount of available data is limited; the results for this criterion should therefore be interpreted with caution. They show a weak positive relationship between the score and the number of participants (ρ=0.22; n=64) and submissions (ρ=0.22; n=61). Virtually no relationship was found with the number of countries (ρ=0.08; n=67).
- يكشف التقرير عن تراجع حاد في شفافية المسابقات الدولية وحماية حقوق الفنانين الفكرية.
- يثبت إحصائياً أن 53.6% من مسابقات العالم تتجاهل تماماً ذكر حقوق الرسامين في لوائحها الرسمية.
- يوضح تدني الدعم الفني والمادي، حيث إن القيمة النموذجية للجائزة الأولى لا تتعدى 500 يورو.
- يسلط الضوء على استسهال التوثيق، إذ إن أقل من 10% فقط من المهرجانات تلتزم بطباعة كتالوج ورقي.
- يؤكد غياب الرعاية المهنية، حيث إن نصف المسابقات لا تقدم أي استضافة أو تغطية سفر للفنانين الفائزين.
syriacartoon website
Editor: Raed khalil
https://syriacartoon.blogspot.com
© 2026 SYRIACARTOON
International Syrian Cartoon.
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