The AAEC firmly stands behind Jack Ohman and his powerful cartoon on the tragedy in West, Texas. The Ohman cartoon represents the finest traditions of both American political cartooning and our freedom of the press. On the other hand the Texas governor's response demanding a retraction and an apology, represents the worst impulses of those who have no respect for our most basic and fundamental right to free speech. Governor Perry attacking the cartoonist is the kind of reaction we'd expect from a leader in North Korea, not one from Texas. The attempt to intimidate a journalist for being critical of the government, particularly the call on the part of the Texas Lt. Governor to have him lose his job, is what should be condemned. This sort of intimidation of journalists is, at its root, just plain un-American. Continue reading

Mark your calendars! The 2013 AAEC Convention will be June 27-29 in Salt Lake City. Click for details -- more to come! Continue reading

A Statement by the Board of the AAEC: The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Endorses Originality. Passing someone else's work off as your own is not tolerated in written reporting, and it should not be tolerated in political cartooning. Indeed, it is not tolerated within the membership of our association. Further, reselling old cartoons with only a few labels changed is just plain bad for both the art form and for business. Continue reading

It's that time of year again, cartoonists. Get your packets together, fill out those entry forms, and write those checks to win the most prestigious awards of the profession. Deadlines may be closer than they appear. Continue reading

Exploiting the fervid political turbulence of the election season, this year’s convention was deliberately scheduled to take place September 13-15, after the nominating conventions of the two political parties, when the antics of editoonists at their drawing boards could become a public spectacle in the form of “A Festival Celebrating the Political Cartoon.” Continue reading

Every year, the Cartoonists Rights Network International recognizes a cartoonist who has shown exemplary courage in the face of unrelenting threats, legal action or other pressure as punishment or disincentive for cartoons that are too powerful for some officials, sects, terrorists or demagogues. This year, CRNI recognized two cartoonists: Syria’s Ali Ferzat and India’s Aseem Trivedi. Continue reading

In mid September I attended the 56th annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists in Washington D.C. It was an enjoyable event and I managed to meet many cartoonists whose work I deeply admire. Two years ago I had attended an AAEC convention in Portland, Oregon, and had a good time. This year it seemed very appropriate for the convention to take place in our capitol as it is an election year. It was my first time in Washington D.C. and I had time to visit the great monuments and talk to other political cartoonists from across the country. Continue reading

Armed with a bullhorn, cartoon placards and the right to assemble, the Cartoonists Rights Network International, AAEC cartoonists (Pat Bagley, Drew Rogier-Chapman, Nik Kowsar, Jeff Parker, and Matt Wuerker), and local Amnesty International members, held a small protest in front of the Malaysian embassy in Washington, DC as a show of solidarity with Malaysian editorial cartoonist Zunar, one day before the AAEC convention kicked off. Continue reading

AAEC conventions are marked by an atmosphere of warm collegiality. Cartoonists of all philosophical persuasions are welcome, and although the individual members are possessed of an array of strong political points of view, there is very little in the way of heated arguments at these events. There are no blood feuds, no screaming matches, and most surprisingly, no drunken punch-outs over politics. Continue reading

Ohman is known as an avid fly fisherman, and for The Bee and Sacramento, his hiring is a major catch. Few cartoonists working today have been so widely lauded and published. At age 19, Ohman was the youngest cartoonist to be nationally syndicated, and his work now appears in more than 300 publications nationwide through Tribune Media Services. Continue reading

Ann Cleaves began cartooning as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia. As a volunteer in Fiji she illustrated schoolbooks for the Fiji Ministry of Education. She taught art in the Boston public schools, and cartooning courses in Texas. She also taught high school subjects in the adult division of the Los Angeles School District from 1988 to 2004. Ann and her husband Courtland live in Los Angeles. Continue reading

The 2012 AAEC Convention will be here before we know it, so start planning now. This year's convention is scheduled for September 13-15, in Washington, DC. Complete details are being organized and will be made available over the next few weeks. Know however that this is one convention you really don't want to miss! In the meantime, start making your travel arrangements or vacation plans. We've reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge in nearby Arlington. This hotel is within one block to the Metro system which will take you to the sessions at... Continue reading

Set aside the dates! The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists' 2012 convention will take place Thursday through Saturday, September 13-15, in George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium. Exact details regarding hotel selection and panels are currently being worked out. Registration for the event will be $250 for members. This year's convention will follow a somewhat different format than in the past. Thursday and Friday will center on "#!&% CARTOONS: A Festival Celebrating the Political Cartoon." The festival will feature "chalk talk" presentations by various cartoonists, draw-offs between cartoonists, great speakers, a public mural, a "Cartoonist Death Match," as well as... Continue reading

The AAEC has created a bank account to pool donations from its members for contribution later this year to the Sacramento Bee's Sebastian Babin Education Fund. Sebastian is the 10-year-old son of Rex and Kathleen Babin. Rex, who was the Sacramento Bee’s staff cartoonist and served as 2010-11 AAEC president, died March 30 following a year-long battle with cancer. Rex was a hard-working and devoted member of the AAEC. It’s the board’s hope that the total amount of member donations pooled in this AAEC-administered account will represent its collective gratitude and appreciation, and likely exceed whatever amount the association could... Continue reading

The Sacramento Bee has invited residents of the city to a remembrance of its late cartoonist, Rex Babin. Babin, a former president of the AAEC, died last month following a year-long battle with cancer. He was 49. According to the Bee's editorial page editor Stuart Leavenworth, the tribute will feature among other things a silent auction of Babin's cartoons, the proceeds of which will go to a college education fund set up for his 10-year-old son, Sebastian. Joel Pett of The (Lexington, Ky.) Herald-Leader and Jack Ohman of The (Portland) Oregonian will speak at at the memorial. Details for the... Continue reading

Click here for information about how to donate to the scholarship fund for Rex Babin's son. Continue reading

The death of Rex Babin has hit our now-miniscule cartooning family very hard, harder than anything we thought we might be prepared for. This magnificent man, this vital athlete, this superb artist and thinker, has left an intellectual and emotional void in the community we love. Continue reading

The theme for the 12th Competition is: Power to the People: Citizens and Social Media. The year 2011 will be remembered for the ways social media — including the use of smart phones, Twitter and Facebook - ignited struggles for democracy across the globe. Continue reading

Enter through 3/15/12. Recognizing its 25th year of celebrating student editorial cartoonists, the prestigious John Locher Memorial Award now includes a $1,000 cash prize in addition to an all-expense paid trip to the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Continue reading

Mr. Joel Pett the President of Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) and staff cartoonist for the Lexington Herald-Leader, announced today that nominations are still being accepted until midnight EST February 29, 2012, for 2012 CRNI Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning. Nominations can be made by any individual. Continue reading

'Tis the season again --time to get your entries in for awards. Here's a handy list. Deadlines are coming up fast! Continue reading

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists applauds the Urban Tulsa Weekly for removing David Simpson as it's Editorial Cartoonist following overwhelming evidence of plagiarism. Continue reading

The American Association of Editorial Cartoonists strongly condemns the brutal treatment of the Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat at the hands of his government. The AAEC urges individuals and governments to join the association in condemning this vicious attack. Continue reading

The Pulitzer MIKE KEEFE of the Denver Post has won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, it was announced at Columbia University on April 18th. It is the first Pulitzer win for Keefe, whose previous honors include the Berryman Award, the National Headliners Award and the Fischetti Award. Keefe won “for his widely ranging cartoons that employ a loose, expressive style to send strong, witty messages,” the Pulitzer jurors said. Keefe has been the Post’s political cartoonist since 1975, after—according to his bio—“in an unguarded moment during Watergate, he found himself drawn to Richard Nixon’s nose.” "I am gobsmacked,"... Continue reading

The 2011 AAEC Convention will be held at the Poynter Institute and the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, July 6 - 9, 2011. There is tons to do around Tampa Bay -- beaches, museums, historic sites, shopping, hiking, kayaking. And Disney World is just two-hours up I-4. Start planning and saving now. We will have a bargain room rate of $95 per night -- find yourself a roommate, and you can pare that down to $47.50. The Hilton was completely renovated from top to bottom in 2009, and it has a bitchin' lobby bar, a vast... Continue reading