Oceans in our Hands

The 2014 edition of the Niels Bugge Cartoon Award integrates perfectly with the theme of WATER that runs throughout this issue of Revolve Magazine. The series of cartoon also coincides well with the UNFCCC negotiations at COP21 in Paris that culminated on December 12, 2015, with an historic and ambitious agreement amongst nearly 200 countries that binds them legally to address climate change with greater urgency. The ambitious and some would say rather unrealistic goal now is to limit global warming to an additional 1.5° Celsius. This would mean that “the fossil fuel era is coming to an end”, according to Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s global climate and energy initiative. This may take longer than many would like but in the meantime, to accelerate the energy transition we must communicate more about the value of our oceans, and continue to raise awareness about what is at stake in a positive way and in the case of cartoons with a critical eye and a touch of humor.

About Niels Bugge Cartoon Award

The idea behind ”Niels Bugges Cartoon Award” grew from several meeting between hotel-owner in Viborg, Denmark, Poul Nielsen, and the renowned German artist Zoran Petrovic. The vision is to create a Prize for cartoonists which actually honors the art of cartoons and at the same time gathers cartoonists and artists from all over the world, regardless of religion and cultures. The Jury for the Niels Bugge Cartoon Awards consists of members from the board of Federation of Cartoonists Organizations (FECO) as well as cartoonists from around the world.

The 3 winners of the 2014 “Oceans are in our hands” competition were:

1. From Russia, Andrei Popov (1970) was in the lead from the beginning with the three cartoons he submitted. He won for his “subtle, reflective humor and a sharp style.”
2. From Canada, Bruce Mackinnon won the 2014 World Press Freedom Award and won the second prize here as a “brilliant artist with a clear strong line, raw, until it hurts.”
3. From Poland, Pawel Kuczynski (1976) is someone who makes us reflect. “Kuczynski’s grim and sharply satirical works caricature themes like war, political manipulation, environmental damage, economic disparity and many other of the worst realities of our times.”