TEHRAN -- A Cuban caricaturist and an Iranian cartoonist have won the top prizes at the International Cartoon and Caricature Contest of the Devil against Holy Books.

Iran’s Cartoon House and the Rudaki Foundation organized the contest in response to American pastor Terry Jones’ plan to set fire to the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
The organizers honored Cuban artist Elvis Corrales Rodriguez with the first prize of the Terry Jones caricature section during a ceremony at the Rudaki Hall in Tehran on Monday.
Iranian caricaturists Alireza Taheri and Ali Norouzi won the second and third prizes of this section.
Iran’s Abbas Nasseri received the first prize of the Devil against Holy Books and the Devil against Human Nature sections.
The second and third prizes of this section went to Indonesian cartoonists Jitet Kustana and Tommy Thomdean.
In addition, Yuriy Kosobukin (Ukraine), Igor Vartchenko (Russia), Moises de Macedo (Brazil), Omar Zevallos Velarde (Peru), Mehmet Tural (Turkey), Eduardo De los Santos (Uruguay) and several other artists received honorable mentions.
Members of the contest jury were Naji Bennaji from Morocco, Juao Bosco from Brazil, Bahman Abdi, Alireza Zakeri and Hossein Safi from Iran.
Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, Cartoon House Director Masud Shojaei-Tabatabaii and a group of foreign and Iranian artists attend the award presentation ceremony.
Over 340 artists from around the world submitted more than 1800 works to the contest.
One hundred of the number were put on display in an exhibit at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall from April 25 to May 9.
In addition, 403 works were also showcased online on Iran’s Cartoon House website.
Photo: A combination photo shows works by Cuban artist Elvis Corrales Rodriguez (R) and Iranian cartoonist Abbas Nasseri (L), who won the top prizes at the International Cartoon and Caricature Contest of the Devil against Holy Books in Tehran on May 9, 2011. (Irancartoon)