Award winning cartoon
December 17, 2010
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For most Year 8 students politics isn’t high on their list of interests but for Simon Cutler his depiction of Australia’s political leaders has taken him all the way to Canberra.
After visiting Canberra with his family last year and seeing 2009 winners in the National Museum of Australia's Drawing the Lines annual political cartoon competition, Simon entered this year’s competition and won the Years 7-9 age group with his two-panel cartoon ‘Big issues’. Another cartoon, ‘Poll/itical puppet theatre’ also received a commendation from the judge.
Simon’s success was rewarded with a 16GB iPad, $50 iTunes voucher, $500 for St Joseph’s Nudgee College and a trip for two to Canberra, including return airfares and one night's accommodation so he could attend an official award’s ceremony and the launch of the exhibition Behind the Lines: The Year’s Best Cartoons 2010.
“The award ceremony was great,” said Simon.
“I got to meet all the other cartoonists and was taken for a tour of the Museum of Australia.”
Simon found out he had won the competition a month prior to the awards ceremony. He describes the timing of the ceremony as “great” as a family friend was visiting from the United States at the time and was able to make the trip to Canberra as well.
“I was a bit anxious as it had been so long since I found out but the organiser’s had to wait until the school holidays so we could all attend,” he said.
“My whole family made the trip to Canberra as well as a guest who was visiting from the USA. They hadn’t been to Canberra so it was good timing.”
Simon’s cartoon will be displayed in the Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2010 exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House Canberra until 20 March 2011 and will be featured on the museum’s website.
