Banbury boy wins 'Young Cartoonist of the Year' award

A Banbury boy has won a national award for 'Young Cartoonist of the Year' for 2020.
A 10-year-old boy from Banbury, Daniel Meikle, won the under 18s category of the Young Cartoonist of the Year competition.A 10-year-old boy from Banbury, Daniel Meikle, won the under 18s category of the Young Cartoonist of the Year competition.
A 10-year-old boy from Banbury, Daniel Meikle, won the under 18s category of the Young Cartoonist of the Year competition.

The Cartoon Museum and British Cartoonists' Association has announced the winners of the 'Young Cartoonist of the year 2020' competition.

A judges panel comprised of luminaries of British newspaper and comic cartooning chose the winners out of more than 150 entries received from all across the UK.

A 10-year-old boy from Banbury, Daniel Meikle, won the under 18s category of the Young Cartoonist of the Year competition. Fergus Boylan, aged 29 from Antrim, won the under the 30s category.

Each of the winners will receive £250 prize money and a certificate. Due to social distancing the certificates will be presented to the winners at a later date, with a hope to display the works of the winners and runners-up either at The Cartoon Museum when it re-opens later in 2021, or online on the museum website.

The competition, now in its 25th year, has produced winners including Nick Edwards (2009) who went on to win an Emmy for his work on Uncle Grandpa in the US, New Yorker cartoonist Will McPhail, and political cartoonist Matt Buck.

This year’s awards were funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of a £98,700 grant to support the museum in combatting the severe financial threat resulting from the museum’s closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Director of The Cartoon Museum, Joe Sullivan, said: “Huge congratulations to Daniel and Fergus and we are incredibly grateful that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has supported us through such a difficult year. Their support will safeguard the immediate future of the museum and go a long way to securing our long-term sustainability."