Spectator launches new award for cartooning

By John Freeman on October 9, 2013

The Spectator magazine has launched what it hopes will be a long-running annual prize: the Michael Heath Award for Cartooning, sponsored by John Lobb.

Michael Heath, who is Cartoon Editor at the magazine, had his first cartoon published in The Spectator in 1957 and has been cartoon editor since 1991. He’s keen to discover a new generation of cartoonists, as he explains in his self-deprecating video above.

“People send me tons of stuff,” says Michael. “…What amuses me is something that is unusual, or is a different angle on something, a different take…I’m looking for originality, an idea that hasn’t been done before and I’m looking for something that is striking in some way.

“It’s best to do do jokes about people,” he suggests. “You mother in law, or the bank manager, or anything like that.”

Perhaps bizarrely, given the huge number of female comic creators who’s work we try to cover here, Michael claims cartooning isn’t covered by women. Perhaps he’s basing this comment on submissions to the magazine, or he doesn’t read daily newspapers like The Guardian.

“Cartooning is very seldom covered by women,” he says. “Women don’t do cartoons… so I’d like lots of women to do them. Preferably drawings of men they hate, like husbands…”

The winner will receive a year long contract with The Spectator (one cartoon a month), an original drawing by Michael Heath and a bottle of Spectator gin.

The theme for the inaugural competition is man in motion. Submit up to four entries to cartooncomp@spectator.co.uk or in the post to:

Michael Heath Cartoon Competition
The Spectator
22 Old Queen Street
London
SW1H 9HP

Entries close 31st October 2013

• Read Michael Heath’s full biography

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.