The Daily Cartoonist Wins Ink Bottle Award, As Does Comic Riffs, The Nib, & Dabaghian

The Daily Cartoonist was among those honored by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists last night.

The AAEC celebrates the media with this year’s Ink Bottle Awards

The people behind The Daily Cartoonist, Comic Riffs and The Nib were all cited for their work

From the AAEC press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The winners of the 2023 Ink Bottle Awards were announced Saturday, Oct. 7, at the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). The award is given to individuals or groups for their dedication to the spirit of the profession and significant contribution to the art of editorial cartooning. 

This year’s recipients included Mike Peterson, D.D. Degg and Alan Gardner of the industry news site The Daily Cartoonist; Washington Post reporter Michael Cavna for his Comic Riffs column; publisher, writer and cartoonist Matt Bors for his work on The Nib; and AAEC volunteer extraordinaire Maryellen Dabaghian.

When considering this year’s recipients, AAEC President Jack Ohman noted that these are the people who “really went to bat for us.”

Founded by Alan Gardner as a blog in 2005, The Daily Cartoonist has become the leading source of industry news for professional cartoonists drawing comic strips and editorial cartoons. After selling the site to Andrews McMeel Universal in 2016, Gardner bought the rights back in 2022 and continues to run it today. Contributing Editor D.D. Degg joined The Daily Cartoonist in 2016 and covers breaking news as well as composing deep dives into cartooning history. 

Journalist and critic Mike Peterson had already been writing his “Comic Strip of the Day” blog for years when he joined TDC in 2016. His column continues to appear each morning and has become a must-read for cartoonists, as much for his dry wit and in-depth reporting as his critique of those still working in the field.

Illustrator and former syndicated cartoonist Michael Cavna has been a pop culture and visual arts reporter for The Washington Post for the past 15 years. His award-winning Post column Comic Riffs frequently focuses on editorial cartoonists, and brings national attention to the big news stories affecting cartoonists and the business of cartooning.

While cartoonist and publisher Matt Bors recently made the decision to shutter The Nib after a decade online and in print, the cartooning platform he created had a wildly successful 10-year-run, publishing thousands of political cartoons and graphic journalism pieces by hundreds of cartoonists, and helped in launching the careers of a number of young cartoonists.

Maryellen Dabaghian is a cartoon superfan and volunteer for the AAEC, helping to organize the last couple of west coast conventions for our organization. Along with her brother, AAEC Parliamentarian Scott Burns, Maryellen has become a key part of the AAEC logistical team.

About the Award:

The Ink Bottle Award was created in 1983 as a “thanks for the thankless tasks” for dedication and service to the AAEC. Over the last 30 years that definition has expanded to include distinguished efforts to promote the art of editorial cartooning, and presented to those in proximity to the field — including historians, journalists, publishers and activists.