THE National Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour announced the winners of the 2026 National Rotary Cartoon Awards at its official opening and awards ceremony.
The competition, now in its 38th year, is open to cartoonists and illustrators, and run in conjunction with Rotary. It is supported and promoted by the Australian Cartoonists Association, the industry’s national body.
In a strong show of support, nine well-known cartoonists from Australia’s East Coast, from Mackay in the north to Sydney in the south, all of whom had contributed entries, attended the event.
Five of the visiting cartoonists were award-winners.
Cartoon of the Year winner Peter Player from Perth was unable to attend.
The winners were chosen from a field of more than 230 entrants covering five different categories.
“The calibre of the entries we received this year was outstanding, highlighting the expert craft and skill of political and satirical cartooning,” Gallery manager, Bruce Nelson, told News Of The Area.
“Categories included sport, politics, caricature, comic strip, and the special category In the future, making for a very colourful and thought-provoking exhibition.
“While their traditional homes, newspapers, may be in decline, it’s really encouraging to see the art form alive and well and continuing to fearlessly poke fun at politics, current events, public figures, and government.”
Winning exhibiting cartoonists who participated in the opening event included David Rowe, who draws daily for The Australian Financial Review; Ian Jones (Bushy Tales) and Phil Day (Maggie), who both have weekly Sunday paper cartoon strips published in national independent, regional, and community publications; and Harry Bruce, whose daily and weekly satirical political cartoons regularly feature in major regional Queensland newspapers.
“In a world drowning in endless content creators, a satirical cartoon provides the ultimate clarity,” Mr Nelson said.
“It strips away the clutter of modern media to deliver a profound, unvarnished truth in a single glance, proving that the sharp stroke of a cartoonist’s pen can cut through the noise faster and deeper than a thousand words ever could.”
The full list of winners is:
Caricature Winner – David Rowe: Redhead, Runner Up – Harry Bruce: King Charles and Andrew.
Politics Winner – Pat Hudson: Truth, Runner Up – Harry Bruce: Great Quotes of American Presidents.
Comic Strip Winner – Ian Jones: Shortened Life Span, Runner Up – Phil Day: The Scarecrow.
Sport Winner – Mark Lynch Enhanced Games, Runner Up – Phil Day The Sportsman.
Special Category In the Future Winner – Tony Lopes A.I. Family Planning, Runner Up – Peter Player at the Museum.
Framing Room Prize – Jed Dunstan New Hobbies.
Cartoon of the Year Peter Player – At the Museum.
The 38th Rotary Cartoon Awards are on display until early December at the National Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour.
By Andrea FERRARI
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