TEHRAN – Iranian cartoonists have won three awards at the 21st Kragujevac Salon of Antiwar Cartoon in Serbia as the organizers announced the winners on Monday.

Marzieh Khanizadeh Abyaneh took third place by winning the bronze plaque of the competition for her cartoon depicting a military commander boasting of his medals and an old woman with a despairing look at the pictures of her children killed in a war.    

Alireza Pakdel also was given a cash prize worth 500 euros by the mayor of the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala, while Hossein Soluki received the same prize from the mayor of the Italian city of Carrara.

Iranian cartoonist Masud Shojaei-Tabatabai was the president of the jury, but due to the pandemic, he joined the jury virtually. However, he is scheduled to attend an exhibition of the competition, which will be organized in October.

The grand prize of the contest was awarded to “Messenger of Peace” by Božo Stefanovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This cartoon shows soldiers at a checkpoint body-searching nude, famine-stricken people.

Serbian cartoonist Nikola Kostandinovic finished first and Thai artist Prawit Mongkolnowrut was selected as the runner-up.

Mayors of four other cities also award cartoons at the Kragujevac Salon of Antiwar Cartoon every year.

Serbian cartoonist Muhamed Djerlek received the award from the city of Bydgoszcz in Poland, while Hikmet Cil from Turkey won the award from the city of Ingolstadt in Germany.

The mayor of the French city of Suresnes honored Sergei Semendyaev from Ukraine, and the award from the Romanian city of Pitesti went to Ramiro Zardoyas from Cuba.

The jury also awarded Zoran Petrovic from Germany, Cemil Safiturk from Turkey, Vladimir Semerenko from Russia and Goran Celicanin from Serbia with honorable mentions.

The antiwar cartoon contest is organized annually in memory of hundreds of Kragujevac civilians executed by the Nazi occupier in 1941.

The organizers also intend to promote peace by bringing together hundreds of cartoonists from all over the world.

Photo: A cartoon by Iranian artist Alireza Pakdel won the Bielsko-Biala award at the 21st Kragujevac Salon of Antiwar Cartoon in Serbia.

MMS/YAW