2009 National Newspaper Awards Nominations Announced:
Editorial Cartoonists Category
By Bryan Munn
The finalists for the 61st National Newspaper Awards were announced March 15 in Toronto. There are 66 finalists in 22 categories, culled from 1,301 entries of works that appeared in the year 2009. The categories include beat reporting, photography, and investigative articles, as well as include editorial cartooning. The award in this category is considered the most prestigious prize given to editorial cartoonists in Canada. This year, the three nominees in the category of editorial cartooning are Brian Gable (The Globe and Mail), Malcolm Mayes (Edmonton Journal), Terry Mosher aka Aislin (The Gazette, Montreal).
Gable has won the award 4 times, most recently in 2005. Aislin has won twice previously (1977 and 1978).
An Edmonton native, Mayes has been nominated twice for the NNA, most recently in 2002, but has yet to win.
Beginning in 2008, cartoonists were instructed to submit their works online and then judged online. According to the Awards’ website, the policart prize is given “for excellence in editorial cartooning for a body of work of five editorial cartoons. Preference will be given to cartoons that demonstrate humour, originality and satire related to news events, with quality embracing line, style and likenesses of personalities where relevant.” A panel of three judges will choose the winner.
Founded in 1949 by The Toronto Press Club, this is the 21st year for the NNAs in its current format, administered by a Board of Governors under the aegis of a non-profit.
Winners will be announced and will receive a $1000 cheque at the awards ceremony in Toronto on Friday, May 14 following the Canadian Newspaper Association conference.