The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops. They enjoyed each other's company and decided to meet on a regular basis. NCS members work in many branches of the profession, including advertising, animation, newspaper comic strips and syndicated single-panel cartoons,

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

editorial cartoon A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine a ...

s, gag cartoons,

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

greeting cards A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays ...

, magazine and book illustration. Only recently has the National Cartoonists Society embraced web comics. Membership is limited to established professional cartoonists, with a few exceptions of outstanding persons in affiliated fields. The NCS is not a

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

or labor union. The organization's stated primary purposes are "to advance the ideals and standards of professional cartooning in its many forms", "to promote and foster a social, cultural and intellectual interchange among professional cartoonists of all types" and "to stimulate and encourage interest in and acceptance of the art of cartooning by aspiring cartoonists, students and the general public."

History

The National Cartoonists Society had its origins during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when cartoonists

Gus Edson Gus Edson (September 20, 1901 - September 26, 1966) was an American cartoonist known for two popular, long running comic strips, '' The Gumps'' and ''Dondi''. Born to Max and Emma Edson in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gus Edson dropped out of school at a ...

Otto Soglow Otto Soglow (December 23, 1900 – April 3, 1975) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip ''The Little King ''The Little King'' is a 1930-1975 American gag-a-day comic strip created by Otto Soglow, telling its stories in a ...

, Clarence D. Russell, Bob Dunn and others did

chalk talks A chalk talk is an illustrated performance in which the speaker draws pictures to emphasize lecture points and create a memorable and entertaining experience for listeners. Chalk talks differ from other types of illustrated talks in their use of r ...

at hospitals for the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

in 1943. Edson recalled, “We played two spots. Fort Hamilton and Governor’s Island. And then we quit the USO.” They were lured away by choreographer and former Rockette Toni Mendez. When she learned of these chalk talks, she recruited the cartoonists to do shows for the Hospital Committee of the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

. Beginning with a performance emceed by humor columnist

Bugs Baer Bugs may refer to: * Plural of bug Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Bugs Bunny, a character * Bugs Meany, a character in the ''Encyclopedia Brown'' books Films * ''Bugs'' (2003 film), a science-fiction-horror film * ''Bugs ...

at Halloran Hospital on Staten Island, these shows were produced and directed by Mendez. The group expanded to junkets on military transport planes, flying to military bases along the southeastern seaboard. On one of those flights, Russell proposed a club to Rube Goldberg and others so the group could still get together after WWII ended. Mendez recalled: The Society was organized on a Friday evening, March 1, 1946, when 26 cartoonists gathered at 7pm in the Barberry Room on East 52nd Street in Manhattan. After drinks and dinner, they voted to determine officers and a name for their new organization. It was initially known as The Cartoonists Society. Goldberg was elected president with

Russell Patterson Russell Patterson (December 26, 1893 – March 17, 1977) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson's art deco magazine illustrations helped develop and promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as t ...

as vice president, C. D. Russell as secretary and

Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a r ...

, treasurer. Soglow was later added as second vice president (“to follow the first vice president around”). Mendez functioned as the Society's trouble-shooter and later became an agent representing more than 50 cartoonists. The 26 founding members came from the group of 32 members who had paid dues by March 13, including strip cartoonists

Wally Bishop Wallace Bond Bishop (August 17, 1905 - January 15, 1982), better known as Wally Bishop, was an American cartoonist who drew his syndicated ''Muggs and Skeeter'' comic strip for 47 years. Biography Born in Normal, Illinois, he grew up in Blooming ...

(''

Muggs and Skeeter ''Muggs and Skeeter'' was an American gag-a-day daily comic strip by Wally Bishop which ran from 1927 to 1974. Originally titled ''Muggs McGinnis'', it was syndicated by the Central Press Association and then King Features Syndicate. Publicat ...

''),

Martin Branner Martin Michael Branner (December 28, 1888 – May 19, 1970), known to his friends as Mike Branner, was a cartoonist who created the popular comic strip ''Winnie Winkle''. Early life Branner was born in Manhattan, New York City on December 2 ...

(''

Winnie Winkle ''Winnie Winkle'' is an American comic strip published during a 76-year span (1920–1996). Ten film adaptations were also made. Its premise was conceived by Joseph Medill Patterson, but the stories and artwork were by Martin Branner, who wrote ...

''),

Ernie Bushmiller Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. (August 23, 1905 – August 15, 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the daily comic strip '' Nancy'', which premiered in 1938 and features the title character who has remained in print for over 85 ...

('' Nancy''), Milton Caniff,

(''

The Gumps ''The Gumps'' is a comic strip about a middle-class family. It was created by Sidney Smith in 1917, launching a 42-year run in newspapers from February 12, 1917, until October 17, 1959. According to a 1937 issue of ''Life'', ''The Gumps'' was i ...

''), Ham Fisher ('' Joe Palooka''),

Harry Haenigsen Harry William Haenigsen (July 14, 1900 – 1990) was an American illustrator and cartoonist best known for '' Penny'', his comic strip about a teenage girl. He also illustrated for books, magazines and advertising. Biography Born in New York C ...

('' Penny''),

Fred Harman Fred Charles Harman II (February 9, 1902 - January 2, 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for his popular ''Red Ryder'' comic strip, which he drew for 25 years, reaching 40 million readers through 750 newspapers. Harman sometimes used th ...

(''

Red Ryder Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

''), Bill Holman ('' Smokey Stover''), Jay Irving (''Willie Doodle''), Stan MacGovern (''Silly Milly''), Al Posen (''Sweeney and Son''), Clarence Russell (''

Pete the Tramp ''Pete the Tramp'' is an American comic strip by Clarence D. Russell (1895–1963) which was distributed by King Features Syndicate for more than three decades, from January 10, 1932 to December 22, 1963. Howard Eugene Wilson, in the ''Harvard Ed ...

''), Otto Soglow (''

The Little King ''The Little King'' is a 1930-1975 American gag-a-day comic strip created by Otto Soglow, telling its stories in a style using images and very few words, as in pantomime. Publication history Soglow's character first appeared on June 7, 1930, i ...

''),

Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...

('' Claire Voyant''), Raeburn Van Buren ('' Abbie an' Slats''), Dow Walling (''Skeets'') and

Frank Willard Frank Henry Willard (September 21, 1893 in Anna, Illinois – January 11, 1958 in Los Angeles, California), was a cartoonist best known for his syndicated newspaper comic strip ''Moon Mullins'' which ran from 1923 to 1991, working alongside assist ...

(''

Moon Mullins ''Moon Mullins'' is an American comic strip which had a run as both a daily and Sunday feature from June 19, 1923 to June 2, 1991. Syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, the strip depicts the lives of diverse lowbrow characte ...

''). Also among the early 32 members were syndicated panel cartoonists

Dave Breger Irving David Breger (April 15, 1908 – January 16, 1970) was an American cartoonist who created the syndicated ''Mister Breger'' (1945–1970), a gag panel series and Sunday comic strip known earlier as ''Private Breger'' and '' G.I. Joe''. The ...

(''Mister Breger''), George Clark (''The Neighbors''), Bob Dunn (''Just the Type'') and

Jimmy Hatlo James Cecil Hatlo (September 1, 1897 – December 1, 1963), better known as Jimmy Hatlo, was an American cartoonist who in 1929 created the long-running comic strip and gag panel ''They'll Do It Every Time'', which he wrote and drew until his d ...

(''

They'll Do It Every Time ''They'll Do It Every Time'' is a single-panel newspaper comic strip, created by Jimmy Hatlo, which had a long run over eight decades, first appearing on February 5, 1929, and continuing until February 3, 2008. The title of the strip became a pop ...

''); freelance magazine cartoonists Abner Dean and

Mischa Richter Mischa Richter (1910 – March 23, 2001) was an American cartoonist best known for his numerous cartoons published in ''The New Yorker'' over decades. Early life Richter was born in Kharkov, Russian Empire, where his father was the city's ...

, editorial cartoonists Rube Goldberg (''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

''), Burris Jenkins ('' New York Journal American''), C. D. Batchelor ('' Daily News'') and Richard Q. Yardley (''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

''); sports cartoonist Lou Hanlon; illustrator Russell Patterson and

artists

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster (; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992), professionally known simply as Joe Shuster, was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 (c ...

and Joe Musial. More members joined by mid-May 1946, including

Harold Gray Harold Lincoln Gray (January 20, 1894 – May 9, 1968) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the newspaper comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie''. Early life Harold Gray was born in Kankakee, Illinois on January 20, 1894, to Este ...

('' Little Orphan Annie'') and the Society’s first animator, Paul Terry, followed in the summer by letterer Frank Engli, Bela Zaboly (''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Al Capp ('' Li’l Abner'') and ('' Bruce Gentry''). By March 1947, the NCS had 112 members, including

Bud Fisher Harry Conway "Bud" Fisher (April 3, 1885 – September 7, 1954) was an American cartoonist who created ''Mutt and Jeff'', the first successful daily comic strip in the United States. Early life Born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a merchant, ...

(''

Mutt and Jeff ''Mutt and Jeff'' was a long-running and widely popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched tinhorns". It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. The concept of a newspape ...

''),

Don Flowers Don Flowers (1908–1968) was an American cartoonist best known for his syndicated panel ''Glamor Girls''. Flowers was noted for his fluid ink work, prompting Coulton Waugh to write that Flowers displayed "about the finest line ever bequeathed ...

(''Glamor Girls''),

Bob Kane Robert Kane (born Robert Kahn ; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator and artist who co-created Batman (with Bill Finger) and most early related characters for DC comics. He was inducted into the comi ...

('' Batman''), Fred Lasswell (''

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', originally ''Take Barney Google, F'rinstance'', is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck. Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a large international readership, appearin ...

''),

George Lichty George Lichty (May 16, 1905 – July 18, 1983) was an American cartoonist, creator of the daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday cartoon series ''Grin and Bear It''. His work was signed Lichty and often ran without mention of his first name. ...

(''

Grin and Bear It ''Grin and Bear It'' is a former daily comic panel created by George Lichtenstein under the pen name George Lichty. Lichty created ''Grin and Bear it'' in 1932 and it ran 83 years until 2015, making it the 10th-longest-running comic strip in Ame ...

''),

Zack Mosley Zack Terrell Mosley (December 12, 1906 - December 21, 1993) was an American comic strip artist best known for the aviation adventures in his long-running ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' which ran in more than 300 newspapers from 1933 to 1973. ...

(''

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973. After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was created ...

''),

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...

(''

Rip Kirby ''Rip Kirby'' is an American comic strip created by Alex Raymond and Ward Greene featuring the adventures of private detective Rip Kirby. The strip ran from 1946 to 1999 and was in the hands of artist John Prentice for more than 40 years. Pub ...

''), Cliff Sterrett (''

Polly and Her Pals ''Polly and Her Pals'' is an American comic strip, created by cartoonist Cliff Sterrett, which ran from December 4, 1912, until December 7, 1958. It is regarded as one of the most graphically innovative strips of the 20th century. It debuted as ...

'') and

Chic Young Murat Bernard "Chic" Young (January 9, 1901March 14, 1973) was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip '' Blondie''. His 1919 ''William McKinley High School Yearbook'' cites his nickname as Chicken, source of his familiar pen name an ...

('' Blondie''), plus editorial cartoonists Reg Manning and Fred O. Seibel and sports cartoonist

Willard Mullin Willard Mullin (September 14, 1902 – December 20, 1978) was an American sports cartoonist. He is most famous for his creation of the "Brooklyn Bum", the personification of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, based on circus clown Emmett K ...

. Marge Devine Duffy, a secretary in King Features public relations department, had been helping Russell handle correspondence to the NCS, and in 1948, she was installed as the official NCS secretary and later given the title Scribe of the Society. Her name was on all the Society’s publications, and her address was the permanent mailing address of the NCS for more than 30 years. As the organizing secretary, she handled agendas, organization and publicity. “She practically ran the damn thing,” Caniff recalled. “A real autocrat, and everyone was delighted to have her be an autocrat because that’s what we needed.” In the fall of 1949, the NCS cooperated with the Treasury Department to sell savings bonds, embarking in a nationwide tour to 17 major cities with teams of 10 or 12 cartoonists and a traveling display, ''20,000 Years of Comics'', a 95-foot pictorial history of the comic strip. Despite the contributions of Duffy and Mendez, there were no female members, as stipulated in the NCS' constitution which specified that “any cartoonist (male) who signs his name to his published work” could apply for membership. In 1949,

Hilda Terry Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. The ...

wrote a letter challenging that rule, and after more than six months of debates and votes, three women were finally admitted for membership in 1950—Terry,

Edwina Dumm Frances Edwina Dumm (1893 – April 28, 1990) was a writer-artist who drew the comic strip ''Cap Stubbs and Tippie'' for nearly five decades; she is also notable as America's first full-time female editorial cartoonist. She used her middle name fo ...

and gag cartoonist Barbara Shermund. On November 6, 1951, 49 members of the NCS arrived at Washington's Carlton Hotel for breakfast with

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. Gathered in Washington to help the Treasury Department sell Defense Stamps, the group presented Truman with a bound volume of their comic strip characters, some interacting with caricatures of Truman.

USO Tour and charitable causes

When Al Posen originated the idea of National Cartoonists Society tours to entertain American servicemen, he became the NCS Director of Overseas Shows. On October 4, 1952, nine cartoonists left on a USO-Camp Shows tour of U.S. Armed Forces installations in Europe, traveling via a Military Air Transport Service plane from

Westover Air Force Base Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

in Massachusetts and landing at

Rhein-Main Air Base Rhein-Main Air Base (located at ) was a United States Air Force air base near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was a Military Airlift Command (MAC) and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) installation, occupying the south side ...

in Germany. On the tour, the cartoonists engaged models in each country to join in their ''Laff Time'' show of audience participation stunts and gags. The cartoonists were Posen,

Charles Biro Charles Biro (May 12, 1911 – March 4, 1972) was an American comic book creator and cartoonist. He is today chiefly known for creating the comic book characters Airboy and Steel Sterling, and for his work at Lev Gleason Publications on '' Dared ...

, Bob Dunn, Gus Edson, Bill Holman, Bob Montana, Russell Patterson, Clarence Russell and Dick Wingert (''Hubert''). The comic strip ''

Dondi Donald Joseph White, "DONDI" (April 7, 1961 – October 2, 1998) was an American graffiti artist. Biography Early life Born in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, Dondi was the youngest of five children. He was of African American a ...

'' came about because of a friendship that developed between Edson and

Irwin Hasen Irwin Hasen (July 8, 1918 – March 13, 2015) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator (with Gus Edson) of the ''Dondi'' comic strip. He also had a significant run on DC Comics' original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in the 1940s as well ...

during a USO trip to Korea.

Hy Eisman Hy Eisman (born March 27, 1927) is an American cartoonist. Comic Strips He entered the comic strip field in 1950 and worked on several strips, including '' Kerry Drake'', '' Little Iodine'' and ''Bunny''. In comic books he was the last art ...

described the atmosphere at the NCS when he joined in 1955: During the 1960s, cartoonists of military comic strips went to the White House and met with

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

in the Oval Office. The group included Caniff, Bill Mauldin and

Mort Walker Addison Morton Walker (September 3, 1923 – January 27, 2018) was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips ''Beetle Bailey'' in 1950 and ''Hi and Lois'' in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strips. ...

. In 1977–78, the National Cartoonists Society released ''The National Cartoonists Society Portfolio of Fine Comic Art'', published by Collector's Press. The portfolio featured a total of 34 art prints. Each 12" x 16" print was printed on archival fine art paper. In 2011, to memorialize and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, many NCS cartoonists auctioned off art that gave commentary to the tragedy and raised money for families victimized by the event in a reflective homage called, Cartoonists Remember. These cartoon tributes raised over $50,000 to benefit the 9/11 families. The art was featured and displayed in both nationally syndicated newspapers and museums across America, including the

Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...

in Washington, DC, the

Cartoon Art Museum The Cartoon Art Museum (CAM) is a California art museum that specializes in the art of comics and cartoons. It is the only museum in the Western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of all forms of cartoon art. The permanen ...

in San Francisco and the

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is a not-for-profit arts organization and former museum in New York City devoted to comic books, comic strips and other forms of cartoon art. MoCCA sponsored events ranging from book openings to educat ...

in New York City. In 2005, the Society formed a Foundation to continue the charitable works of its fund for indigent cartoonists, the

Milt Gross Milt Gross (; March 4, 1895 – November 29, 1953) was an American cartoonist and animator. His work is noted for its exaggerated cartoon style and Yiddish-inflected English dialogue. He originated the non-sequitur "Banana Oil!" as a phrase defla ...

Fund. The Society's offices are in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was f ...

. In addition, the NCS has chartered 16 regional chapters throughout the United States and one in Canada. Chapter Chairpersons sit on the NCS Regional Council and are represented by a National Representative, who is a voting member of the Board of Directors. As NCS president for two consecutive terms, Jeff Keane, cartoonist for the ''

Family Circus ''The Family Circus'' (originally ''The Family Circle'', also ''Family-Go-Round'') is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Bil Keane and, since Bil's death in 2011, is currently written, inked, and rendered (colored) by his son, Jef ...

'' and son of comic creator,

Bil Keane William Aloysius "Bil" Keane (October 5, 1922 – November 8, 2011) was an American cartoonist most notable for his work on the newspaper comic '' The Family Circus''. It began in 1960 and continues in syndication, drawn by his son Jeff Kea ...

, returned to the charter and spirit of the NCS by extending the society's outreach to the military by visiting and cartooning for vets who served in the Iraq War and Afghanistan War, during the years 2007–2011. In 2008, NCS joined over 60 other art licensing businesses (including the

Artists Rights Society Artists Rights Society (ARS) is a copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. Founded in 1987, ARS is a member of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers and as such repr ...

Association of American Editorial Cartoonists The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) is a professional association concerned with promoting the interests of staff, freelance and student editorial cartoonists in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With nearly 200 members, it ...

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...

, the

Stock Artists Alliance Founded in 2001, the Stock Artists Alliance was an international trade association of photographers who produce images for stock photography. The mission of SAA was to support and protect the business interests of professional stock photographers wi ...

, Illustrator's Partnership of America and the Advertising Photographers of America) in opposing both The Orphan Works Act of 2008 and the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008. Known collectively as " Artists United Against the U.S. Orphan Works Acts", the diverse organizations joined forces to oppose the bills, which the groups believe "permits, and even encourages, wide-scale infringements while depriving creators of protections currently available under the Copyright Act."

Billy DeBeck Memorial Award

The earliest NCS award was the Billy DeBeck Memorial Award, also known as "the Barney" from the character in Billy DeBeck's popular comic strip ''

''. After DeBeck died on Veteran's Day, 1942, Mary DeBeck remarried (as Mary Bergman) and created the DeBeck Award in 1946. She also made the annual presentation of engraved silver cigarette cases (with DeBeck's characters etched on the cover) to the eight winners spanning the years 1946 to 1953. Mary Bergman died February 14, 1953, aboard a National Airlines DC-6 which went down in the Gulf of Mexico during a thunderstorm on a flight from Tampa to New Orleans. In 1954, following her death, the DeBeck Award was renamed the Reuben Award, also known "the Reuben." When the award name was changed in 1954, all of the prior eight winners were given Reuben statuettes designed by and named after the NCS' first president, Rube Goldberg. The Reuben Award was executed in bronze by sculptor and editorial cartoonist Bill Crawford.

Reuben Award

The National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Awards weekend is an annual gala event which takes place at a site selected by the President. During the formal, black-tie banquet evening, the Reuben Award (determined by secret ballot) is presented to the Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. Cartoonists in various professional divisions are also honored with special plaques for excellence. These awards are voted by a combination of the general membership (by secret ballot) and specially-formed juries overseen by various NCS Regional Chapters. A cartoonist does not need to be a member of the NCS to receive one of the Society's awards. Prior to 1983, the Reuben Awards Dinner was held in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, usually at the Plaza Hotel. Since then, the event has expanded into a full weekend and is held in a different city each year. Recent Reuben locations have included New York City; Boca Raton;

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

; Cancún; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2013. Each year, during the NCS Annual Reuben Awards Weekend, the Society honors the year's outstanding achievements in all walks of the profession. Excellence in the fields of newspaper strips, newspaper panels, TV animation, feature animation, newspaper illustration, gag cartoons, book illustration, greeting cards, comic books, magazine feature/magazine illustration and editorial cartoons, is honored in the NCS Division Awards, which are chosen by specially-convened juries at the chapter level. An Online Comic Strip Award was added in 2011. The recipient of the profession's highest honor, the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, is chosen by a secret ballot of the members. As part of the presentations and general frivolity, the NCS has produced videos to initiate the festivities, some of which have been parodies of iconic entertainment.

Award winners

Billy DeBeck Memorial Award *1946:

, ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'' *1947: Al Capp, ''Li'l Abner'' *1948:

, '' Blondie'' *1949:

, ''

'' *1950: Roy Crane, ''Buz Sawyer'' *1951: Walt Kelly, ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo'' *1952: Hank Ketcham, ''Dennis the Menace (U.S. comics), Dennis the Menace'' *1953:

, ''Beetle Bailey'' Reuben Award *1954:

, Sports *1955: Charles M. Schulz, ''Peanuts'' *1956: Herbert L. Block (Herblock), Editorial *1957: Hal Foster, ''Prince Valiant'' *1958: Frank King (cartoonist), Frank King, ''Gasoline Alley'' *1959: Chester Gould, ''Dick Tracy'' *1960: Ronald Searle, Advertising and Illustration *1961: Bill Mauldin, Editorial *1962: Dik Browne, ''Hi and Lois'' *1963: Fred Lasswell, ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, Barney Google'' *1964: Charles M. Schulz, ''Peanuts'' (First Repeat Winner) *1965: Leonard Starr, ''Mary Perkins, On Stage'' *1966:

, ''

'' *1967: Rube Goldberg, Humor in Sculpture *1968: Pat Oliphant, Editorial, and Johnny Hart, ''B.C. (comic strip), B.C.'' and ''The Wizard of Id'' (First Tied Winners) *1969: Walter Berndt, ''Smitty (comic strip), Smitty'' *1970: Alfred Andriola, ''Kerry Drake'' *1971:

, ''Steve Canyon'' *1972: Pat Oliphant, Editorial (Second Repeat Winner) *1973: Dik Browne, ''Hägar the Horrible'' (Third Repeat Winner) *1974: Dick Moores, ''Gasoline Alley'' *1975: Bob Dunn, ''

'' *1976:

, '' Nancy'' *1977: Chester Gould, ''Dick Tracy'' (Fourth Repeat Winner) *1978: Jeff MacNelly, Editorial *1979: Jeff MacNelly, ''Shoe (comic strip), Shoe'' (Fifth Repeat Winner, First "back-to-back" Winner) *1980: Charles Saxon, Advertising *1981: Mell Lazarus, ''Miss Peach'' and ''Momma'' *1982:

, ''The Family Circus'' *1983: Arnold Roth, Advertising *1984: Brant Parker, ''The Wizard of Id'' *1985: Lynn Johnston, ''For Better or For Worse'' (First Female (& Canadian) Winner) *1986: Bill Watterson, ''Calvin and Hobbes'' *1987: Mort Drucker, ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' *1988: Bill Watterson, ''Calvin and Hobbes'' (Sixth Repeat Winner) *1989: Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis, ''Garfield'' *1990: Gary Larson, ''The Far Side'' *1991: Mike Peters (cartoonist), Mike Peters, ''Mother Goose and Grimm'' *1992: Cathy Guisewite, ''Cathy'' *1993: Jim Borgman, Editorial *1994: Gary Larson, ''The Far Side'' (Seventh Repeat Winner) *1995: Garry Trudeau, ''Doonesbury'' *1996: Sergio Aragonés, ''Mad'' *1997: Scott Adams, ''Dilbert'' *1998: Will Eisner, ''Spirit (comics), The Spirit'' *1999: Patrick McDonnell, ''Mutts (comic strip), Mutts'' *2000: Jack Davis (cartoonist), Jack Davis, ''Mad'' *2001: Jerry Scott, ''Zits (comics), Zits'' and ''Baby Blues'' *2002: Matt Groening, ''Life in Hell'' *2003: Greg Evans (cartoonist), Greg Evans, ''Luann (comic strip), Luann'' *2004: Pat Brady (cartoonist), Pat Brady, ''Rose Is Rose'' *2005: Mike Luckovich, editorial cartoonist for ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' *2006: Bill Amend, ''FoxTrot'' *2007: Al Jaffee, ''Mad'' *2008: Dave Coverly, ''Speed Bump'' *2009: Dan Piraro, ''Bizarro (comic strip), Bizarro'' *2010: Richard Thompson (cartoonist), Richard Thompson, ''Cul de Sac (comic strip), Cul de Sac'' *2011: Tom Richmond (illustrator), Tom Richmond, ''Mad'' *2012: Rick Kirkman, ''Baby Blues'' and Brian Crane, ''Pickles (comic strip), Pickles'' (Second Tied Winners) *2013: Wiley Miller, ''Non Sequitur (comic strip), Non Sequitur'' *2014: Roz Chast, editorial cartoonist for ''The New Yorker'' *2015: Michael Ramirez, editorial cartoonist for ''Creators Syndicate'' *2016: Ann Telnaes, print syndication, syndicated with Cartoonists and Writers Syndicate/New York Times Syndicate *2017: Glen Keane, Walt Disney feature films *2018: Stephan Pastis, ''Pearls Before Swine (comics), Pearls Before Swine'' *2019: Lynda Barry, ''Making Comics'' *2020: Ray Billingsley, ''Curtis (comic strip), Curtis''

Other awards

Ace (Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinary) Award

*1961 Arne Rhode *1962 Carol Burnett *1963 Hugh Hefner *1963 Jonathan Winters *1964 Chuck McCann *196? Cliff Arquette *1967 Jackie Gleason *1970 Orson Bean *1972 Bobby Day *1973 Robert Lansing (actor), Robert Lansing *1974 Jane Powell *1975 Rita Moreno *197? Boyd Lewis *1979 Linda Gialeanella *1980 Ginger Rogers *1981 Claire Trevor *1990 John Updike *1991 Al Roker *1992 Tom Wolfe *1993 Pete Hamill *1996 Denis Leary *1998 Morley Safer *2014 "Weird Al" Yankovic *2018 Jake Tapper

Award of Honor

This award was for recognition of the American cartoon as an instrument in war, peace, education and in the artistic betterment of our cultural environment. On September 22, 1965, the following were honored: *General Omar Bradley, Omar N. Bradley *Walter Cronkite *John Charles Daly, John C. Daly *John Cameron Swayze

Gold Key Award (National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame)

*1977 Hal Foster *1978

*1979 Raeburn Van Buren *1979 Herbert Block *1980 Rube Goldberg (posthumous) *1981

*2000 Arnold Roth *2005 Larry Katzman *2006

*2011 Stan Goldberg

Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award

The Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors. *1994 Harry Devlin *1994 Will Eisner *1995 Al Hirschfeld *1996 Jack Davis (cartoonist), Jack Davis *1997 Dale Messick *1998 Bill Gallo *1999 Charles M. Schulz *2002 Jerry Robinson *2003 Morrie Turner *2004 Jules Feiffer *2005 Gahan Wilson *2006 Ralph Steadman *2007 Sandra Boynton *2008 Frank Frazetta *2009 **Joe Kubert **George Booth (cartoonist), George Booth *2010 R. O. Blechman *2012 Brad Anderson (cartoonist), Brad Anderson *2013 Russ Heath *2015 Paul Coker, Jr. *2016 Angelo Torres *2017 Lynda Barry *2018 Floyd Norman *2019

Gold T-Square Award

The Gold T-Square is awarded for 50 years as professional cartoonist. *1955 Rube Goldberg *1999

*2018 Arnold Roth

Silver T-Square Award

The Silver T-Square is awarded, by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, to persons who have demonstrated outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession. *1948 David Low (cartoonist), David Low *1949 **Carl Ed ** Cliff Sterrett **Bud Fisher, H.C. "Bud" Fisher **Frank King (cartoonist), Frank King **George McManus *1950 **

**John Snyder **James Berryman **

*1951 Red Manning *1953 Ed Kuekes *1954 **Dwight D. Eisenhower **George M. Humphrey **Herbert Block *1956 **James Thurber **Gluyas Williams ** Al Posen **Al Pierotti *1957 **Harry Hershfield **Tom Little (cartoonist), Tom Little **

** Bob Dunn *1958 Russell Patterson *1959 **Carl Rose ** Bill Mauldin *1960 **Ben Roth (posthumous) **McGowan Miller *1961 **

**Joe Musial *1962 Edmund Valtman *1963 Steve Douglas *1964 **Tom Gill (comics), Tom Gill **Vernon Greene *1967 Al Smith (cartoonist), Al Smith *1969 **

**Dick Ericson *1970 **Alfred Andriola **George Wunder *1971 **Dick Hodgins Sr. **Frank Fogarty *1972 **Walt Kelly **John Norment **David Pascal **Larry Katzman *1973 ** Bill Crawford **John Fischetti **Jack Tippit *1974 **Isadore Klein **"Tack" Knight *1975 **Jack Rosen **Hal Foster *1976 Al Kilgore *1977 **Bill Kresse **Paul Szep **Lyman Young *1978 **Bill Gallo **Jim Ruth **Hank Ketcham *1979 **Dick Hodgins Jr. **Sylvan Byck **Ed Mitchell **Jim Ivey *1980 Buck Peters *1981 John Cullen Murphy *1982 George Wolfe (cartoonist), George Wolfe *1984 Sam Norkin *1986 Lee Falk *1992 **Creig Flessel **Herb Jacoby *1993 George Breisacher *1995 Arnold Roth and Caroline Roth *1996 **David Folkman **Bill Janocha *1997 Tim Rosenthal *1998 Joe Duffy *2000 Mel Lazarus *2001 **Ted Goff **Frank Pauer *2002 **

**Joseph D'Angelo *2003 **Jud Hurd **John McMeel *2004 (no award) *2005 Dick Locher *2006 Joe and Luke McGarry *2007 Stu Rees *2008 James Kemsley (posthumous) *2009 Jeff Bacon *2010 Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Lucy Caswell (for involvement in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum) *2011 Steve McGarry *2012 Lee Salem (editor), Lee Salem *2014 Jeff Keane *2015 Bruce Higdon *2018 **Brendan Burford **Rick Stromoski

Elzie Segar Award

This award was presented to a person who made a unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning. The winner was selected by the NCS Board and later by King Features Syndicate, in honor of "Popeye" creator Elzie Segar. * 1971

* 1972

* 1973 Dik Browne * 1974

* 1975 Bob Dunn * 1976 Bill Gallo * 1977

* 1978 Hal Foster * 1979 Al Capp (posthumous) * 1980 Charles M. Schulz * 1981 Johnny Hart * 1982

* 1983 John Cullen Murphy * 1984 Fred Lasswell * 1985 Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis * 1986 Brant Parker * 1987 Mike Peters (cartoonist), Mike Peters * 1994 Fred Lasswell * 1996 Tom Armstrong (cartoonist), Tom Armstrong * 1999 Mort Walker

No. 1 (Sports Personality of the Year) Awards

*1968 Ralph Houk *1970 Gil Hodges *1971 Jack Dempsey and Joan Whitney Payson (tie) *1972 Satchel Paige, Leroy "Satchel" Paige *1974 Rocky Graziano *1974 Monte Irvin, Monte Irwin *197? Casey Stengel *19?? Pearl Bailey *19?? Yogi Berra *19?? Dave DeBusschere *19?? Reggie Jackson *19?? Willis Reed *1984 Phil Rizzuto

Presidents

* 1946–1948 Rube Goldberg * 1948–1949

* 1950–1952

* 1952–1953

* 1953–1954

* 1954–1956 Walt Kelly * 1956–1957 Harry Devlin * 1957–1959 John Pierotti * 1959–1960

* 1960–1961 Bill Crawford * 1961–1963 Bill Holman * 1963–1965 Dik Browne * 1965–1967 Bob Dunn * 1967–1969 Jerry Robinson * 1969–1971 Al Smith (cartoonist), Al Smith * 1971–1973 Jack Tippit * 1973–1977 Bill Gallo * 1977–1979 Burne Hogarth * 1979–1981 John Cullen Murphy * 1981–1983

* 1983–1985 Arnold Roth * 1985–1987 Frank Evers (cartoonist), Frank Evers * 1987–1988 Bill Hoest * 1988 Bill Rechin * 1988–1989 Lynn Johnston * 1989–1993 Mell Lazarus * 1993–1995 Bruce Beattie * 1995–1997 Frank Springer * 1997–1999 George Breisacher * 1999–2001 Daryl Cagle * 2001–2005 Steve McGarry * 2005–2007 Rick Stromoski * 2007–2011 Jeff Keane * 2011–2015 Tom Richmond (illustrator), Tom Richmond * 2015–2019 Bill Morrison (comics), Bill Morrison * 2019– Jason Chatfield

References

External links

*
NCS cartoonists USO trip: Kuwait
{{American Comic Book Industry Awards Cartooning Comics groups and collectives American artist groups and collectives 1946 establishments in the United States Arts organizations established in 1946

History

USO Tour and charitable causes

Billy DeBeck Memorial Award

Reuben Award

Award winners

Other awards

Ace (Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinary) Award

Award of Honor

Gold Key Award (National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame)

Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award

Gold T-Square Award

Silver T-Square Award

Elzie Segar Award

No. 1 (Sports Personality of the Year) Awards

Presidents

See also

References

External links