The Memorial ParkOctober in Kragujevac

The judges of the jubilee XX International Anti-War Cartoon Salon »Kragujevac 2017«, consisting of: Marco de Angelis, cartoonists, illustrator, graphic designer, journalist and publicist from Italy, the president, Jugoslav Vlahović, cartoonist, illustrator and designer, Prof. Špiro Radulović, cartoonist, Tošo Borković, cartoonist, and Miodrag Stojilović, journalist and publicist, the president of the Salon Council, members, met in Kragujevac on September 6, 2019 and noted that a record number of 1,117 works by 460 authors from 63 countries from all continents had arrived for the XX Salon.

After reviewing all of the submitted works, the judges selected the cartoons to exhibit and publish in the Salon catalogue and decided:

GRAND PRIX »PEACE MESSENGER« AND €1,500 PRIZE AWARDED BY The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities, wins

Manuel Arriaga, Spain

GOLDEN PLAQUE AWARD AND THE FIRST PRIZE OF € 1,000, wins
                Li Xiaozang, China

SILVER PLAQUE AWARD AND THE SECOND PRIZE OF € 800, wins
                Majid Amini, Iran

BRONZE PLAQUE AWARD AND THE THIRD PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                Andrea Pecchia, Italy        

MAYOR OF BYDGOSZCZ (Poland) PRIZE OF € 750, wins
                 Nisvet Smailagić, Germany          

INGOLSTADT CITY (Germany) PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                Husein Čakmak, Cyprus

BIELSKO-BIALA CITY (Poland) PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                 Jovo Škomac, Serbia

SURESNES CITY (France) PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                Red Halil, Syria

PITESTI CITY (Romania) PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                Pavel Konstantin, Romania

CARRARA CITY (Italy) PRIZE OF € 500, wins
                Fakhredin Dost Mohamad

The judges have decided to award the following authors, whose works were also shortlisted for the awards, to the SALON DIPLOMA:
                Miljan Obrenić, Montenegro
                Konstantin Kazanchev, Ukraine
                Ali Rastroo, Iran
                David Vela, Spain
                Didie Sri Vidijanto, Indonesia
                Makhmudjon Eshonkulov, Uzbekistan

The judges, consisting of four well-known cartoonists, three of whom have previously won awards at the Salon, and all four winners of prestigious cartoon festivals, from Bordighera, through Lisbon, to Tehran, highlight the success of the XX Salon, both by record number of authors and presented works as well as the quality of the cartoons, which also testifies to the universality and, unfortunately, still contemporary relevance of the anti-war theme. Likewise, the fact that the authors from 63 countries from all over the world and even from the very center of today's wars and conflicts, such as Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Iraq, have responded to the competition testifies to the strength of the peace mission promoted by Salon. What is encouraging about this is the hope that is strongly reflected in the winning cartoon, where the indestructible tone of music emerges from the ruins of war destruction as a symbol of the more beautiful face of man and humanity. The cartoonists in the works represented  to the Salon testify to the dark side of the world today, but do not agree with it, rather they judge it with the edge of their pen and their vigorous imagination. The judges remained true to the preservation of the universal meaning of the Salon and its sublime idea.
                The works selected for display and publication in the Salon catalogue, especially the award-winning works, show an inspiring variety of expressing the condemnation of war and warnings about its pernicious effects on people and on the entire planet. In addition to this idea, the selected works are also characterized by strong art.
                The judges point out that the Salon has once again proven to be one of the necessary and one of the most significant anti-war manifestations in Serbia, and acknowledges Kragujevac for persistently nurturing and developing the Salon, especially for gathering its partner cities and for presenting the Salon in the country and abroad. At the same time, they were surprised to learn that this program did not find understanding and support on the national level.

Judges

Marco De Angelis, the president

Jugoslav Vlahović

Tošo Borković

Špiro Radulović

Miodrag Stojilović
In Kragujevac, September 6, 2019.