Cathy Wilcox named Australia’s Cartoonist of the Year

Veteran political cartoonist Cathy Wilcox has been named Australia’s Cartoonist of the Year, just months after drawing the curtain on her 37-year career with the Sydney Morning Herald.

The four-time Walkley Award winner took home the coveted gold statuette at this year’s Stanley Awards, adding another accolade to a career spanning almost four decades.

It was her second win, having first claimed the title in 2021.

Drawing to a close

Ms Wilcox, who began drawing for the masthead in 1989, farewelled the newspaper in August after taking a voluntary redundancy.

“I love that cartooning combines so many of my interests: human nature, language, humour, drawing; and also that the subject matter changes all the time,” she told the newspaper at the time.

Colleagues paid tribute to her career, describing her as an industry leader and role model for the younger generation.

“Cathy’s a great loss to daily cartooning,” award-winning photographer, author and commentator Mike Bowers told The Point.

“Cartooning is one of the things that can ask the questions you can’t ask. It can present questions that you can’t really do in any other way.”

Reflecting on the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines, Mr Bowers said he missed Ms Wilcox’s “take on it”.

“She is an important voice in cartooning in this country, and it’s just such a loss to the mix of Australian cartoons,” he said.

Beyond the punchline

Community Strong Australia MP Zali Steggall was on hand to present Ms Wilcox with the Editorial/Political Cartoon Award, using the occasion to highlight the importance of editorial cartooning.

“Political cartoons challenge the people in power, cut through the information overload and help us see politics from a different angle,” Ms Steggall told The Point.

“The ability of cartoonists to question, criticise and hold politicians to account is vital to our democracy and must be protected – especially amid a new wave of threats such as AI-generated images and proposals to weaken copyright protections.”

Mr Bowers also gave the Warringah MP and teal independents a shout-out, crediting them for “making parliament a better place”.

He praised their tributes to independent MP Helen Haines following the alleged attack, describing the response as the “very, very best” example of Parliament.

“We’re quick to criticise in the media, we don’t often get to give bouquets,” he said.

“It gave voice to the grief and the tragedy of the whole situation.”

Credit where it’s due

Mr Bowers also highlighted the importance of the Stanley Awards in giving cartoonists dedicated recognition for their work.

He reflected on the changing media landscape and the growing challenges faced by cartoonists, who he said were doing it tougher than most.

“When I started in the gallery there were a dozen photographers who were employed full time in the press gallery in Parliament House. Now there’s three, and if anything, the cartoonists have got it worse than we have,” he told The Point.

“It’s just such an important thing to have an organisation that celebrates and uplifts all corners of this very diverse bunch of people and their art.”

No regrets

Ms Wilcox recently defended a controversial cartoon that sparked accusations of antisemitism and prompted public apologies from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Published last December following the Bondi terror attack, the cartoon depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beating a drum labelled “Royal Commission into Antisemitism”.

Speaking to Ette Media’s Antoinette Latouf, she said she stood by her work.

“I absolutely don’t regret the cartoon because I absolutely also don’t think that interpretation of it was a fair one,” she said.

She said that Netanyahu had the most to gain from a royal commission because it would keep public debate focused on antisemitism.

Hall of fame

Three new cartoonists were inducted into the Hall of Fame – Patrick Cook, Jenny Coopes and Tom Glover, whose grandson Philip Glover accepted the honour on his behalf.

The Point hears there was no shortage of senior cartoonists vying for Ms Coopes’ attention, with the trailblazer revered as one of the first women to have her work published in major Australian newspapers.

Jenny Coopes spent two decades as a cartoonist with Fairfax, winning three Walkley Awards along the way. She joined The National Times as a relief cartoonist in the 1970s, carving out a niche in political and legal satire at a time when women were rarely seen in the cartooning ranks of Australia’s major newspapers. In 1985, she became the first woman to win a Walkley for Best Illustration.

She also helped launch the careers of fellow cartoonists David Rowe and David Pope, giving them opportunities to work as relief cartoonists. Both were among those in the room to celebrate her induction.

Tom Glover was a prolific cartoonist and caricaturist whose career spanned New Zealand and Australia. He got his start in 1911 as a cartoonist and court reporter for the Wellington-based New Zealand Truth, before moving to Australia in 1922. He joined Sydney’s The Sun as a feature cartoonist, a position he held until his sudden death at his desk in September 1938, aged just 47.

Cartoonist, satirical writer and performer Patrick Cook was honoured for his work which spanned many major and minor newspapers, magazines and television. He was best known for his contributions to The National Times and The Bulletin. His weekly satirical column in The Bulletin eventually took over from his drawing, but his cartoons continue to inspire and influence cartoonists.

Winners

A full list of the night’s winners is below.

Cartoonist of the Year — Cathy Wilcox
Animation Cartoonist — Paul Mason
Book Illustrator — Dean Rankine
Caricaturist — David Rowe
Comic Book Artist — Paul Mason
Comic Strip Cartoonist — Ian Jones
Editorial/Political Cartoonist — Cathy Wilcox
Event Cartoonist — Paul Harvey
Illustrator — David Pope
Single Gag Cartoonist — Fiona Katauskas
Jim Russell Award — Tim McEwen
Climate Cartoon — Fiona Katauskas
Cartoon On The Night — Will Goodwin
Kudelka Climate Cartoon Award — Fiona Katauskas
2026 Hall of Fame Inductees — Patrick Cook, Jenny Coopes and Tom Glover.