Later this year, Cartoonists Rights will present the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award recognising the exemplary bravery of a cartoonist facing threats to their human rights. To aid in their deliberative process, their call for nominations is open until Monday 10th February 2025.
The Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award alernates biannualy with the Kofi Anan Courage in Cartooning Award presented in Geneva by Cartoonists Rights partners the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, won last year by Indian cartoonist Rachita Taneja.
Full Criteria and Instructions can be found on the Cartoonists Rights website
For consideration in this year’s awards-giving you may suggest cartoonists who have encountered one or more of the following problems during the last twelve months: physical violence, or the threat of violence, to self or family
criminalisation e.g. charges of sedition, obscenity, support of terrorism etcetera; arrest, detention or imprisonment by police, military personnel or other agencies of state
forced displacement from home; censorship; vexatious litigation (“SLAPP” suits); online harassment e.g. hacking, DDoS attacks, mass trolling etcetera; and verbal or physical abuse or intimidation based on age, gender, race or sexual orientation.
This not a competition about freedom of expression; do not send in cartoons on this topic. Cartoonists Rights concerns itself solely with cartoonists’ human rights., therefore they make no judgement upon an award nominee’s professional status nor the aesthetic merit of their work. However, they will not consider cartoonists whose output advocates violence and/or evidences hate speech. Also this award is not given posthumously, so please do not nominate a deceased person.
• Full Criteria and Instructions can be found on the Cartoonists Rights website
Cartoonists Rights was founded by Bro Russell in 1999 as a nonprofit organisation to protect the rights of editorial cartoonists under threat. Ours was the first global organisation whose core purpose is the protection of cartoonists rights in the pursuit of freedom of expression without fear. If you appreciate the need for cartoonists to continue to speak truth to power please join our campaign as a Cartoonist Defender follow our socials below and if you are able to; make a donation to help the cause.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
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