Aydın Doğan Cartoon Contest announces winners

MUĞLA - Hürriyet Daily News

1st prize / KRZYSZTOF GRZONDZIEL

The 30th Aydın Doğan Cartoon Contest kicked off in Bodrum on June 17 with a day-long session where judges got together to select the winner. The selection committee, headed by Czech Adolf Born, was made up of leading figures in the cartoon world: Turkish Ercan Akyol, Latif Demirci, Selçuk Demirel, Piyale Madra, U.S. Brad Holland, Robert Mankoff, Canadian Anita Kunz, and British Ralph Steadman.

Polish cartoonist Krzysztof Grzondziel’s work, which features the damage caused by wars, won the first prize in this year’s contest. The second prize of the contest went to Turkish artist Asuman Küçükkantarcılar and third prize to Luxembourger Pol Leurs.

This year 842 cartoonists from 77 countries joined the contest with 2544 cartoons. The international committee, which gathered in Bodrum Işıl Club on June 17, evaluated 234 cartoons by 199 artists from 43 countries, which had already been chosen by the pre-selection committee.

Cartoons by Ali Raşit Karakılıç, Paulo Verscchoeren, Rodrigo Machado Da Rosa, Sajad Rafeei, William Rasoanaıvo, Rafael Correra, Mojtaba Ejder Panah, Majid Amini, Jose Antonio Garci Nieto, Hamet Bazrafkan, Didie Sri Widiyanto and Amir Catic won the Merit Award at this year’s contest.

Born in 1959, the winner of the first prize, Grzondziel previously received Double Grand Prix in 1985 and 2001 at the International Competition of Humor and Satire “Satyrykon” in Legnica; Grand Prize in the Tuba Satirica in 2012; Grand Prix at the International Competition in Figure satirical-humorous “Ball in Play” in Warsaw in 2012; Silver Prize at the “Red Man” International Humor Art Biennial of China in 2013; First prize at the “18 Zlaty Sudok” 2013 Presov. He also won the prize at the 2002 Aydın Doğan Cartoon Competition.

‘Hard time choosing’

The Aydın Doğan Foundation Executive Board Chair Candan Fetvacı said that the selection committee had a hard time choosing the winning cartoons. “As a foundation, we think that the freedom of expression is one of the most important rights of people. This is why we support cartoonists from all around the world and try to create a platform for them to express themselves,” Fetvacı said.

Starting today, the award winning cartoons will be displayed at the Milta Bodrum Marina Osmanlı Tersanesi Kaymakamlık Art Gallery until June 29.

The winner of the contest will be given $8,000 while the winner of the second and third prize will be given $5,000 and $3,000. The other winning cartoons will be awarded $500.