World Power & Reality – Global Order in Transition
Power, Actors, and a New Global Order
The global order is changing — old power structures are shifting, and new actors are stepping onto the stage. People in the Global South are particularly affected, yet their perspectives on climate, resources, debt, migration, and power are often underrepresented.
How do they experience the new world order? Who is being heard, and who remains invisible? What responsibilities do states, corporations, and institutions have toward those most affected?
We are looking for you and your cartoons that make power structures, inequality, and the voices of the Global South visible—critical, pointed, and thought-provoking.
Questions for your cartoons:
• How does the new world order affect the Global South?
• Who organizes the world—and who is overlooked?
• Whose interests really matter?
• How are these issues represented in the media?
Theme 2026 - Paint it simply
World Power & Reality – Global Order in Transition
— Power, Actors, and a New Global Order
The global order is undergoing profound change. Old power structures are being shaken, new actors are emerging, and international institutions are gaining or losing influence.
Key actors include:
• Traditional powers: G7 countries (USA, Germany, France, Japan, etc.)
• Emerging powers: BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
• International institutions: UN, WTO, IMF, World Bank
• Private actors: Global corporations, financial institutions, NGOs
The “new global order” describes the shifts in power and the processes through which rules, norms, and resources are distributed worldwide.
Perspective of the Global South
Definition of the Global South:
Regions that historically, economically, and politically have had less influence over global decision-making processes—such as countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.
People from these regions experience the consequences of the global order directly—through climate impacts, resource extraction, debt burdens, or migration. Their perspectives and opinions are often underrepresented, despite being directly affected.
Perception and Media Representation
Perceptions of the global order are strongly shaped by the media. Reporting often reflects the perspectives of powerful states or economic actors.
Consequence: Certain narratives dominate, while the voices of marginalized groups remain invisible. Transparent and critical media are essential to questioning power relations.
Consequences of an Unequal Global Order
When the global order does not work for everyone, far-reaching consequences arise:
• Increasing social and economic inequality
• Conflicts over resources, the environment, and trade
• Migration and forced mobility
• Political instability and loss of trust in state institutions
• Environmental destruction and disregard for global responsibility
Fields of Action
Government / State:
• Promoting legal reforms to create clear rules and structures
• Strengthening transparency, accountability, and participation
• International cooperation to address global challenges
Private Sector:
• Promoting fair competition
• Combating monopolization and concentration of power
• Responsible use of resources and fair labor conditions
Media & Communication:
• Transparent reporting and oversight of powerful actors
• Exposing injustice and abuse of power
Society / Civil Society:
• Continuous pressure on decision-makers
• Engagement, participation, and public debate
• Making the interests of marginalized groups visible
Key Questions of the New Global Order
• Who shapes the world—and who is left out?
• Whose interests define the global agenda?
• What responsibility do powerful states, corporations, and institutions bear?
• To what extent are the interests and needs of the Global South taken into account?
• How is the global order perceived and represented in the media?
• What hopes, forms of resistance, and alternatives exist?
Contest rules 2026 - Paint it simply
World Power & Reality – Global Order in Transition
Power, Actors, and a New Global Order
Terms & Conditions
The competition is open to all cartoonists. We are looking for works that humorously, critically, and clearly depict the new global order, power structures, and the perspectives of the Global South.
Participation
• Each participant may submit max- 3 works.
• The work must be original and must not have been submitted to other competitions.
• Captions can be written in German, Spanish, or English.
• Technique: analog or digital, freely chosen.
• Format: A4 (210 x 297 mm), unframed. Digital works as JPG/PNG, 300 dpi, 1–15 MB.
Submission
E-mail: competition@cartoons-talide.de, subject: “Cartoons Submission”
Post: TALIDE e.V., Waldemarstraße 33, 18057 Rostock, Germany
• The postmark date applies. Please mark the envelope with “Erklär’s mal einfach”
• To include: name, address, e-mail, phone number, short biography (max. 1 page A4), and a photo or self-caricature.
• Return of originals: only upon explicit request and with a self-addressed stamped envelope
Exclusion of AI-Generated Works
The use of generative AI systems for the creation or substantial modification of submitted works is not permitted.
Only works that have been created predominantly without AI-assisted generation and are based on the participant’s own creative effort are eligible.
The organizer reserves the right to request proof of the creation process in case of doubt.
Any violation of these rules will result in disqualification from the competition.
Prizes
1st Prize: € 1,000
2nd Prize: € 500
3rd Prize: € 300
Special Prize
Audience Award: € 200
Audience Award
We have decided to introduce an Audience Award because we want to know which image you like the most.
After the submission deadline, you will have the opportunity to send us a short email with your name and the respective artwork. Each email counts as one vote.
This way, your favorite cartoon becomes part of the vote, and the winner will be officially announced!
The audience competition starts on July 1 and ends on August 1.
The awarded works become the property of the organizer (physical original).
Selected works will be presented in the exhibition and in the competition catalog.
Each participating artist whose work is featured in the catalog will receive a complimentary copy of the catalog.
Rights and Use
By submitting their work, the participant agrees that:
• The organizer may use the submitted works free of charge for the exhibition, the competition catalog, as well as for the public relations of the competition and for projects and public communication of Talide e.V. (print and digital media),
• The copyright remains entirely with the artist,
• The submitted content does not infringe any third-party rights, in particular copyright, personality rights, competition law, or trademark rights.
Organization & Jury
• Winners will be selected by an independent jury.
• The organizers reserve the right to supplement, modify, or cancel the competition.
• Legal recourse is excluded.
Deadline
Submission deadline: June 30, 2026
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