The AAEC announces the Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning
SACRAMENTO, CA — The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is proud to establish a new award to honor the life and career of the late political cartoonist Rex Babin. The award will focus on state and local editorial cartoons, an issue near and dear to Babin, and one that he and other cartoonists felt was regularly overlooked by journalism contests.
Babin, the editorial cartoonist for the Albany Times-Union and The Sacramento Bee, passed away in 2012 at age 49 following a long fight with cancer. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, and received the Berryman Award from the National Press Foundation the same year. His unique drawing style stood out among the work of his peers, and his fellow cartoonists elected him President of the AAEC in 2009.
While his work was syndicated nationally, Babin was a strong believer in the power of editorial cartoons to have real influence at the local level. As the cartoonist for daily newspapers in two state capitals, he saw how effective satire could sometimes be when directed at targets across the street. While at The Sacramento Bee, he drew "Caleeforneeya," a recurring strip mocking then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Jack Ohman, Babin's long-time friend and successor to his staff position at the Bee, will be the main judge for the inaugural award. Ohman will be joined on the panel by Charlotte Observer cartoonist Kevin Siers, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014, and JP Trostle, a cartoonist and illustrator who's edited six books on political cartoons, and worked closely with Babin when he was president of the AAEC.
"Rex Babin was not only a brilliant visual artist, but a skilled commentator whose commitment to local cartoons made him a major voice in Sacramento and California. He spoke constantly of the need for cartoonists to speak effectively to their communities. The AAEC wants to recognize the very important local and state cartooning so many of our members do every day without national fanfare."
The Rex Babin Award will be presented Saturday, Nov. 4, during the 2017 Political Cartoon & Satire Festival at Hofstra University in Hemstead, NY.
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CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning
• Please submit ten cartoons and a 150 word statement from the artist about their work and its impact.
• Cartoons must have been published in 2016 or 2017.
• Images should be in a 300dpi jpeg format, and emailed to jackin60@gmail.com.
• There is no entry fee.
• The judging criteria are:
1) Cartoons on a local or state subject that have a strong political or social impact;
2) Excellence in draftsmanship and ideas.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Friday, October 6, 2017
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For more information on the award, contact Jack Ohman at jackin60@gmail.com.
For more information on the 2017 Political Cartoon & Satire Festival, go to editorialcartoonists.com.
