Mike Peterson mentioned this, but we’re going to give it a stand-alone article too.
The Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning is given each year to an editorial cartoonist who focuses on state and local issues, and whose work has had an effect on their community.
From the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC):
MONTREAL, QUEBEC — North Carolina cartoonist Dennis Draughon is this year’s recipient of the “Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning.” The panel of judges also named Kentucky’s Marc Murphy as finalist.
The prize was announced Saturday, Oct. 5, at the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
Outgoing judge Matt Davies wrote, “Dennis Draughon’s singular focus on education — born of his frustrations as a teacher in North Carolina — zeroes in on a politically regressive state seemingly determined to undermine its students’ futures in the name of partisan political dogma.”
2022 Babin winner Steve Stegelin noted, “As both an editorial cartoonist and an educator, Dennis Draughon’s cartoons read like missives from the frontline in the North Carolina legislature’s war on public education. With an appealing, cartoony style that belies his pointed commentary
This was the third time cartoonist Marc Murphy was named as a finalist. The judges wrote, “Through stark imagery and even starker commentary, Marc Murphy’s entries for the Rex Babin Award showcase the power of the editorial cartoon, with a body of work that strives to make readers think more than laugh.
The Babin is one of the only journalism awards for editorial cartoonists that is selected by a jury of peers.
The above mentioned Mike Peterson CSotD column has more cartoons from Dennis and Marc’s submissions.