These 2022 finalists observe an issue within the 2021 awards when NO winner was chosen within the Cartooning class, a snub that Matt Bors wrote about:
In June, many people within the discipline had been dismayed to search out that, for the primary time since 1973—and in one of the politically tumultuous years of our lifetimes—the Pulitzer Prize board declined to problem an award for editorial cartooning. The AAEC issued a fiery assertion to “urge radical structural reform of the award to judge fashionable opinion cartoons by twenty first century requirements.” So far as I used to be involved, the choice confirmed that the stewards of previous media simply aren’t that into us anymore. I had left on the proper second.
Ruben Boling, one of many last finalists, and Tom Tomorrow additionally talked about it on this Panel to Panel podcast.
It was yet one more signal that the function of editorial cartoonist, a place as soon as so influential it modified elections and historical past, had shrunk away to nearly nothing as print gave method to the web – the place getting paid for any form of artistic work is a triumph of the human spirit.
For 2022, the Pulitzer committee utterly revamped the cartooning class to acknowledge “a distinguished portfolio of editorial cartoons or different illustrated work (nonetheless, animated, or each) characterised by political perception, editorial effectiveness, or public service worth.” The broadened class offers room to think about longer works, just like the 2022 winner, animated cartoons – and even on past to TikTok, in idea.
The opposite 2022 finalists exhibit the broadening of the class. Zoe Si is a New Yorker cartoonist, with all that implies, discovering humor within the quirks and foibles of life.
Ann Telnaes is a standard editorial cartoonist, and one of many greats, who gained the Pulitzer in 2001, solely the second lady to win it, on the time. As a Library of Congress story famous, solely 5% of editorial cartoonists are ladies.
The extent of variety amongst “illustrated reporters” is so much larger – I’d estimate that fifty% or much more of graphic journalists are ladies or non binary.
At any charge, the 2022 Pulitzer winner is a deserving one, and if it marks the altering of the guard and an finish of the period – the Editorial Cartooning award was introduced for a good 100 years and was essentially the most prestigious award in US cartooning.
That mentioned, it additionally acknowledges the number of media that we devour at this time and giving an opportunity to a good wider vary of creators.
