Steve Brodner has been named the 2024 Herblock Prize winner (with portfolio).
On choosing Brodner the judges said:
Brodner’s work is unflinching, driven by a strong moral compass and imbued with a powerful sense of compassion. As the quote from Herblock engraved on the trophy reads, “Political cartoons, unlike sundials, do not show the brightest hours. They often show the darkest ones, in the hope of helping us move on to brighter times.” Steve Brodner embodies this ideal: a singular, courageous voice who through the use of his artistic and writing abilities, spotlights inequities and injustices in the world.
His portfolio offers a mixture between traditional print media and the new opportunities that social media provides cartoonists. In a time of rising autocratic voices and governments, Steve’s work reminds us of the important role editorial cartooning has in a free press and democracies.
His work currently appears daily at stevebrodner.substack.com and weekly in thenation.com . His career retrospective: Freedom Fries (2004) and the story of the Covid years in the US: Living and Dying in America (2022) were both published by Fantagraphics Books.
“The Herblock Prize is awarded annually by The Herb Block Foundation for “distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous independent standard set by Herblock.” The winner receives a $20,000 net cash prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy. Steve Brodner will receive the Prize on June 4th in a ceremony held at the Library of Congress. The Honorable Stephen Breyer, retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S, will deliver the annual Herblock Lecture at the awards ceremony.”
Pedro X. Molina is the 2024 Herblock Prize finalist (with portfolio)
The 2024 Herblock judges stated “Threatened by the regime in his native Nicaragua, Pedro Molina has proven himself a master cartoonist in the United States, where he chose to exile himself. Bringing an immigrant’s point of view, he depicts anti-immigrant rhetoric as toxic to the United States. His insight on the failure of humankind to improve itself morally while manipulating and destroying the environment impressed all the judges with its message and execution.”
Mike Rhode at Comics DC carries Sarah Alex’s full press release making the announcements public.