2009 World Press Cartoon - Barcelona

The finest graphic humour in the world press comes to Barcelona for the first time

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The original drawings of the 400 finest cartoons published in 2008 in the press across the world shall be exhibited at the Palau Robert in Barcelona from 2nd July 2009 within the framework of the exhibition “World Press Cartoon: Graphic Humour in the Press”. This annual exhibition shall be shown for the first time in Catalonia and may be visited until 27 September, just after the Mercè holiday.

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The official opening, held on 1 July at 7 pm, will be chaired by the Deputy Secretary General of the Department of the Presidency, Jordi Menéndez, and shall be attended by the exhibition curator, Rui Paulo da Cruz, as well as the President of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia, Ramon Font.

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The objective of “World Press Cartoon” (WPC) is to make known and distinguish the best-produced and published works in newspapers and magazines from all over the world. Year after year, since 2005, more and more professionals in the sector have taken part and demonstrated the vitality and success of the initiative.
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Despite being a quintessential journalistic genre, the specialised field of cartoons and caricatures, as well as the professionals dedicated to it, have traditionally been given little recognition, and have even been scorned upon. The WPC, inspired by the prestigious World Press Photo, was created precisely to afford recognition to caricaturists and cartoonists, who have been in the shadows for too long.

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Last April, in the Portuguese city of Sintra, the fifth edition of this contest was held, which annually awards prizes to the finest cartoons in three categories: editorial cartoon, gag cartoon and caricature. It also recognised the finest work of all, which receives the Grand Prix. This year, the panel of judges had to choose between the finest works among a total of 848 entries, produced by 428 authors in 72 countries.

Of the more than 800 original drawings, 401 were selected and entered the contest which can be seen in the Cotxeres multidisciplinary space at Barcelona’s Palau Robert. In addition, in the adjoining room, an audiovisual presentation will be screened featuring a selection of the finest drawings in previous years.

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In the contest held in Sintra, the Mexican draughtsman Rogelio Naranjo received the Grand Prix and the first prize in the category of Editorial Cartoon for his drawing In the same ship, published in the Mexican newspaper Universal on 17 September 2008. In the category of Caricature, the Portuguese André Carrilho won the award for Ahmadinejad, and in the Gag Cartoon category, the Cuban Osmani Simanca received the award for Punk Fish. The Spaniard Javier Carbajo received second prize in the Caricature category for his drawing published in the Barcelona magazine El jueves.