T.R. DENİZLİ METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
6. INTERNATIONAL CARTOON CONTEST
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Subject: FOOTBALL
Football is a universal form of expression that transcends languages, cultures, and borders. Beyond being merely a sport, it serves as a powerful social mirror that simultaneously embodies joy, sorrow, competition, and solidarity. Bringing millions of people together in shared excitement, this game sometimes becomes a child’s dream, sometimes the pride of a city, and at other times the collective emotion of an entire nation.
The qualification of our national football team for the FIFA World Cup, to be held in June–July 2026, once again highlights the enthusiasm and unifying power that football creates in our country. This important achievement is not only a sporting success, but also a symbol of hope, unity, and shared dreams.
As Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, we have chosen “Football” as the theme of this year’s international cartoon contest, aiming to interpret this great excitement through the universal language of art. Cartooning is an art form that, through the sharp perspective of humor, reveals social realities, provokes thought, and encourages reflection. Football, in turn, offers an endless source of stories that enrich this perspective: the struggles on the field, the passion of the stands, the pursuit of justice, the spirit of fair play, global unity, and at times the contradictions that remain in the shadow of the game.
This contest provides artists with the opportunity to interpret not only the visible aspects of football, but also the human stories, cultural interactions, and universal values behind it. Participants are expected to approach football’s unifying power, its critical dimensions, and the human condition through their own original perspectives.
Our cartoon contest aims to strengthen cultural dialogue by bringing together artists from different geographies on a shared intellectual ground. We believe that the works shaped around the theme of “Football” will contribute to peace, friendship, and a culture of coexistence.
With the unifying power of art, the universal language of football comes together in this contest. We invite all cartoon artists to take part in this great gathering.
Bülent Nuri Çavuşoğlu
Mayor of T.R. Denizli Metropolitan Municipality
CONDITIONS:
1- Subject of the contest: ‘’Football’’
3- The competition is open to all amateur and professional cartoonists worldwide. Members of the jury and their first-degree relatives are not eligible to participate.
4- Cartoons submitted to the contest may have been previously published or unpublished; there is no restriction in this regard. However, they must not have received an award in any previous contest. Cartoons deemed identical or substantially similar by the jury, or determined to belong to another artist, will not be evaluated. If it is found that award-winning participants have acted contrary to their declarations and acceptances or have violated the rules, their awards will be revoked. Any prizes, titles, and all associated gains obtained by the participant will be withdrawn. In such and similar cases, all responsibility for any disputes, including allegations of plagiarism, similarity, or copyright issues, shall rest entirely with the participant who created and submitted the cartoon.
5- Cartoons generated using artificial intelligence will not be accepted. A maximum of five cartoons may be submitted to the contest.
6- Cartoonists will submit their cartoons to our contest digitally. Each cartoon must be in A4 size, between 150–300 dpi, in JPEG format, and no smaller than 1 MB and no larger than 10 MB.
7- Some of the cartoons selected by the jury from among the submissions will be compiled into a PDF album and published on the Municipality’s website. Works deemed worthy of exhibition will also be displayed at a venue and time determined by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality. No fee will be paid for works selected for exhibition or inclusion in the album.
8- The transportation, accommodation, and meal expenses for one night of the winners in the contest will be covered by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality.
9- Jury:
* Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu (Dr. Yeditepe University Lecturer, Cartoonist)
* Şevket Yalaz (Cartoonist)
*Savaş Ünlü (Humor Writer)
*Ali Şur (Cartoonist)
*Altan Özeskici (Cartoonist)
*Aşkın Ayrancıoğlu (Cartoonist)
*Abdülkadir Uslu (Cartoonist)
*Özgür Başkurt (Assistant Secretary General)
*Mehmet Selçuk (Contest Coordinator)
*Arif Duru (Head of Culture and Arts)
10- Prizes:
1st Place: …………………………….100.000 TRY
2nd Place: ………………………….....70.000 TRY
3rd Place: ……………………………..50.000 TRY
Honorable Mention (3 Pieces): ………30.000 TRY
Under 18 Years Old (2 Pieces): ............15.000 TRY
Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu Special Prize: 30.000 TRY.
11- Contest Schedule:
A. Submission deadline: Sunday, June 07, 2026, at 24:00.
B. Jury evaluation meeting: Saturday June 13, 2026.
D. Award ceremony and exhibition: Friday, June 26, 2026, at 18:00, will be held at the Turan Bahadır Exhibition Hall of Denizli Metropolitan Municipality. (The date and venue of the award ceremony and exhibition may be changed by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality.)
12- At the end of the contest, the economic rights for the works that win awards or are selected for exhibition and inclusion in the album—specifically the rights defined in 22 (reproduction), 23 (distribution), 24 (public performance), and 25 (communication to the public via signs, sounds, and/or images) of the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846—shall belong jointly to the artist and Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, indefinitely. Within the scope of these rights, Denizli Metropolitan Municipality may use or have used the work indefinitely, nationally and internationally, in Turkish or any other language, in any medium and material content, while crediting the artist.
The participant declares that the submitted work is entirely their own. The participant undertakes that they are the sole and absolute party responsible for any claims that third parties may make under Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works (FSEK) or other applicable laws regarding the work. In addition, the participant acknowledges that all legal and criminal liability related to the work rests entirely with them. Denizli Metropolitan Municipality shall bear no legal or criminal responsibility in these matters (while retaining the right of recourse against the author). The rights of use belong both to the author and to Denizli Metropolitan Municipality as the organizing institution of the contest.
13- Participants in the competition will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the competition and the decisions of the selection committee in advance. In matters not specified in the specifications or in case of doubt, the Selection Committee will act as an arbitrator in disputes that may arise between the participant and Denizli Metropolitan Municipality. In case of dispute, the Selection Committee is authorized.
14- Communication:
Volkan ASLAN (Culture and Social Affairs Department Personnel)
GSM : +90 (555) 538 30 82
Central : +90 (258) 280 29 07
Address: Denizli Metropolitan Municipality Congress and Culture Center, İncilipınar Mah. 3385 Sok. No:2 20100 Pamukkale/Denizli
15- FINAL PROVISIONS:
1. Accommodation, transportation (bus and plane tickets for only 1 person) and meals for the winners of the competition who will attend the award ceremony will be covered by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality.
2. Accommodation, transportation (bus and plane tickets) and meals will be covered for the award-winning participant under the age of 18 and one of his/her guardians.
3. Transportation (plane and bus ticket), food and accommodation expenses of the members of the selection committee who wish to attend the award ceremony will be covered by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality.
4. The awards (documents, plaques, etc.) of those who cannot attend the ceremony despite winning an award will be sent to the addresses of the contestants, and the financial awards will be deposited into their bank accounts. In the event that the right holder does not inform the IBAN number, the prize money will expire after 1 year from the date the results are announced. In case of lapse of time, the rights holder cannot claim any prize, copyright, etc. (Shipping fees will be deducted from the net money paid to the contestants.)
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