For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, DC, March 4, 2014 – Jen Sorensen was named the winner of the 2014 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning. Sorensen is the first female to win the Prize since it began in 2004.
Jen Sorensen’s cartoons appear in approximately twenty alternative newspapers, including her local weekly, The Austin Chronicle. They are also published regularly in The Nation, Ms. Magazine, The Progressive, Politico, and on a variety of websites, including Daily Kos and NPR.org. Sorensen serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, as well as on the Advisory Board of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at Ohio State University.
The prize is awarded annually by The Herb Block Foundation for “distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous independent standard set by Herblock.” The winner receives a $15,000 after-tax cash prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy. Sorensen will receive the prize April 29th in a ceremony held at the Library of Congress. Bob Woodward, associate editor of The Washington Post and prolific author, will deliver the annual Herblock Lecture at the awards ceremony.
Previous speakers include: Ben Bradlee, then-Senator Barack Obama, Sandra Day O’Connor, Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Ted Koppel, George Stevens Jr., Jim Lehrer, Garry Trudeau and Gwen Ifill. Judges for this year’s contest were Dan Perkins, pen name Tom Tomorrow, creator of the weekly political cartoon “This Modern World” and winner of the 2013 Herblock Prize; Sara Duke, curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Art at the Library of Congress; and Tony Auth, editorial cartoonist at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 41 years and currently Digital Artist of Residence at WHYY’s NewsWorks.org. The judges stated “Jen Sorensen’s strong portfolio addresses issues that were important to Herblock, such as gun control, racism, income inequality, healthcare, and sexism. Her style allows her to incorporate information which backs up the arguments she presents. Her art is engaging and her humor is sharp and on target.” Clay Bennett, the editorial cartoonist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, was named this year’s finalist and will receive a $5,000 after-tax cash prize. The judges said "Clay Bennett is a master of the surprising visual metaphor. His clean, elegant drawings convey his strong opinions with deceptive simplicity." The Herb Block Foundation seeks to further the recognition and support of editorial cartooning.
Herb Block is among the world’s best known and most admired political cartoonists. Born on October 13, 1909, the native Chicagoan spent his 72-year career fighting against abuses of the powerful.