Cartoonist Darko Drljevic won first prize in the 26th annual Editorial Cartoon Competition, which had as its theme “Times are Tough.”

Like other journalists, editorial cartoonists are facing cutbacks and other economic pressure, as well as threats and intimidation from authoritarian governments around the world.

Drljevic is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Podgorica, Montenegro. He is president of the Association of Cartoonists of Montenegro and the Federation of Cartoonists Organizations. He was the 2025 winner of the World Press Cartoon competition held in Oeiras, Portugal.

Second place on the WPFC contest went to Joel Plett, an American Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist who formerly worked for the Lexington Herald-Leader. His cartoons have appeared in hundreds of websites, newspapers and magazines worldwide, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Le Monde, and many more.

Third-place finisher Patrick LaMontagne is a cartoonist and digital painter from Canmore, Alta. He was an editorial cartoonist syndicated with several dozen newspapers across Canada. 

In 2024, he was a finalist for a National Newspaper Award and has won or placed several times in the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.

He has expanded to his digital wildlife paintings, but editorial cartooning remains a core part of his practice.