History
In 1978 the Kruishoutem branch of the Willemsfonds (a socio-cultural organisation with a secular and liberal label) created the foundation of the "Euro-kartoenale". It started out not as a competition but as an exhibition without a specific theme. In 1979 the first real competition was organised. This contest that had as it's theme "Chicken and Egg" was exclusively reserved for Flemish cartoonists.
Encouraged by this experience and after two years of careful preparation the first "Euro-kartoenale" competition was launched in 1981, employing the same theme from 1979.
In 2007 the competition attained a summit. Despite the difficulty of the theme imposed, "Locks & Keys", 992 cartoonists from 85 different countries submitted over 4000 drawings. The drawings entered were of an extremely high graphic and amusing character.
As such an organisation requires substantial financial consideration it was decided to organise the competition once every two years. In 1985 the Euro-kartoenale finally made it's breakthrough into the international world of cartoons, the number of participants tripled and the national press was interested in the contest. And the success continues. The principle of the organisation is to respect the simplicity, the quality and honesty of the artistic creation that has been submitted.
The themes that are carefully selected are universal but, however, not always obvious, which distinguishes this competition from other contests.
If you are curious to discover the various themes, the number of participants, the members of the jury, or pictures from previous editions, then click here.
