TEHRAN – Iranian cartoonists Hamid Sufi and Javad Takju have won the top prizes of the 33rd edition of Olense Kartoenale, a Belgian international cartoon competition.

Sufi won first prize in the main theme of the contest, which was “A Visit to the Museum”. He works at the Iranian Students News Agency.

He has previously participated in many international cartoon contests in Portugal, China, South Korea and Argentina.

Due to his in-depth studies on anthropology, he has achieved a better understanding of the hidden layers of human life and the traditions of other communities, which have helped him give a better expression of his attitudes.

Takju won a special prize that Amnesty International awarded to the best cartoon on the theme “Right to a Fair Trial” this year.

Takju won second prize at the Zagreb International Salon of Car Caricatures in Croatia in 2020. He is a founding member of Gilan’s Cartoon Association.

The award ceremony took place on Friday at the council room of the town hall of Olen.

Anneke van Steijn from the Netherlands received second prize, while third and fourth prizes were given to Leonardo Zaza from Italy and Angel Ramiro Zapata Mora from Colombia.

Emil Idzikowski won the prize of the City of Bialogard, which is only awarded to a Polish participant every year.

In the youth category, Wolfgang De Bont received the prize for best Belgian work, while the Best Foreign Work Award Didar went to Askin Ayrancioglu from Turkey.

The winners were selected by an expert jury from over 400 works submitted by cartoonists from 68 countries.

A selection of the cartoons will also be showcased in an exhibition, which will open at the hall on Sunday and will be running until the end of December.

Photo: This combination photo shows works by Iranian cartoonists Javad Takju and Hamid Sufi, which won top prizes of the 33rd edition of Olense Kartoenale in Belgium.

MMS/YAW