The Reuben Award

Reuben winners Bil Keane, Sergio Aragones, Patrick McDonnell and Jim Borgman.

The Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year is chosen by a secret ballot of the members of the National Cartoonists Society.
The Reuben Award is the highest honor that the profession bestows. As with all the NCS awards, the winner need not be a member of the Society.
The award was previously called the Billy DeBeck Memorial Award, and the recipient received an engraved silver cigarette box.
The Reuben was introduced in 1954 and is named after longtime Honorary President Rube Goldberg. The statue is based on one of Goldberg’s irreverent pieces of sculpture. The eight winners who had received the “Barney,” as the Billy DeBeck Award was dubbed, subsequently received Reuben statuettes and are termed Reuben winners in the Society’s annals.

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• 1946 MIlton Caniff
• 1947 Al Capp
• 1948 Chic Young
• 1949 Alex Raymond
• 1950 Roy Crane
• 1951 Walt Kelly
• 1952 Hank Ketcham
• 1953 Mort Walker
• 1954 Willard Mullin
• 1955 Charles Schulz
• 1956 Herbert Block
• 1957 Hal Foster
• 1958 Frank King
• 1959 Chester Gould
• 1960 Ronald Searle
• 1961 Bill Mauldin
• 1962 Dik Browne
• 1963 Fred Lasswell
• 1964 Charles Schulz
• 1965 Leonard Starr
• 1966 Otto Soglow
• 1967 Rube Goldberg
• 1968 Johnny Hart (tied)
• 1968 Pat Oliphant (tied)
• 1969 Walter Berndt
• 1970 Alfred Andriola
• 1971 Milton Caniff
• 1972 Pat Oliphant
• 1973 Dik Browne
• 1974 Dick Moores
• 1975 Bob Dunn
• 1976 Ernie Bushmiller
• 1977 Chester Gould
• 1978 Jeff MacNelly
• 1979 Jeff MacNelly
• 1980 Charles Saxon
• 1981 Mell Lazarus
• 1982 Bil Keane
• 1983 Arnold Roth
• 1984 Brant Parker
• 1985 Lynn Johnston
• 1986 Bill Watterson
• 1987 Mort Drucker
• 1988 Bill Watterson
• 1989 Jim Davis
• 1990 Gary Larson
• 1991 Mike Peters
• 1992 Cathy Guisewite
• 1993 Jim Borgman
• 1994 Gary Larson
• 1995 Garry Trudeau
• 1996 Sergio Aragones
• 1997 Scott Adams
• 1998 Will Eisner
• 1999 Patrick McDonnell
• 2000 Jack Davis
• 2001 Jerry Scott
• 2002 Matt Groening
• 2003 Greg Evans
• 2004 Pat Brady
• 2005 Mike Luckovich
• 2006 Bill Amend
• 2007 Al Jaffee
• 2008 Dave Coverly
• 2009 Dan Piraro
• 2010 Richard Thompson
• 2011 Tom Richmond
• 2012 Rick Kirkman (tied)
• 2012 Brian Crane (tied)
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The Gold Key

The Gold Key, awarded by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, honors the recipient as a member of the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame.

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• 1977 Hal Foster
• 1978 Edwina Dumm
• 1979 Raeburn Van Buren
• 1979 Herbert Block
• 1980 Rube Goldberg
• 1981 MIlton Caniff
• 2000 Arnold Roth
• 2005 Larry Katzman
• 2006 Mort Walker
• 2008Mell Lazarus
• 2008 Bil Keane
• 2009 Bill Gallo
• 2010 Roy Doty
• 2011 Stan Goldberg
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The Caniff

Caniff Award recipients Morrie Turner (with Michael Ramirez), R.O. Blechman, Sandra Boynton and Brad Anderson.

The Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors. It is given for a lifetime of outstanding and accomplished work to a cartoonist who has not previously won a Reuben (The one exception was the posthumous award to Charles M. Schulz, who was awarded a unique Golden Caniff for his outstanding contribution to the artform).

Click to see Caniff Recipients

The T-Square

Jed Kemsley accepts the T-Square on behalf of his late father, James. Luke and Joe McGarry, youngest-ever recipients of the T-Square at 18 years old. David Low receives the first T-Square in 1948. Lee Salem makes off with his award, 2007.

The Gold T-Square is awarded for 50 years as professional cartoonist. So far, two have been presented: to Rube Goldberg in 1955 and to Mort Walker in 1999.

The Silver T-Square is awarded, by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, to persons who have demonstrated outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession. The recipients to date are:

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Advertising Illustration

Advertising Illustration Winners L-R: Steve Brodner 2009, Dave Whamond 2010, Nick Galifianakis 2011 and Ed Steckley 2012

Previously titled Advertising and Illustration, in 1976 it divided into two separate categories, Advertising and Illustration, combining again from 1982 to 1985. They divided again in 1986. This category was titled Commercial in 1989 and 1990.

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Animation

‘Family Guy’ earned Seth McFarlane the Television Animation Award in 2009, Nico Marlet picked up the Feature Animation award in 2008 and 2010 for his work on ‘Kung Fu Panda’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (pictured), and Steve Hillenburg won for ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ in 2002

Prior to 1995, when it was divided into Feature Animation and Television Animation, the category was titled Animation. In 1989 and 1990, the category was titled Electronic Media.

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Book Illustration

B.B. Sams was voted 2002 Book Illustrator of the Year. That same year he was also nominated in the Advertising Illustration category, but lost out to Jim Hummel. John Manders won in 2012, and Mike Lester has picked up the award four times since 2000.

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Comic Books

Sergio Aragones has won four Comic Book Division Awards. In addition, the “Mad” Magazine legend has won in the Gag Cartoon, Animation, Special Features and Magazine & Book Illustration divisions, as well as winning the 1996 Reuben Award.

From 1970 until 1981, two separate categories were created, Humor and Story. Since 1982, the category has once more been called Comic Book, with the exception of 1989 and 1990, when it was merged with Magazine and Book Illustration.

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Editorial Cartoons

Etta Hulme became the first female cartoonist to win in the Editorial division with her win in 1981. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer recorded her second win in the category in 1998. Michael Ramirez has won the Editorial Cartoon Award three times since 2006.

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Gag Cartoons

Chon Day, first recipient (1956) and three-time winner of the Gag Cartoon Award. Brothers Glenn and Gary McCoy have both notched-up victories in this Division. Roz Chast took home the award in 2012.

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Greeting Cards

Oliver Christianson has been signing his work ‘REVILO’ since he graduated as an illustration major from California State University, Long Beach, and began a career in cartooning for a variety of men’s magazines. His work is familiar to millions thanks to his output for Hallmark Cards. He was named Greeting Cards cartoonist of the year in 2001. Rick Stromoski became the first cartoonist to win twice in the Greeting Cards Division with his wins in 1995 and 1998. He’s also won for Gag Cartoons. Jem Sullivan has also won twice, in 2008 and 2012.

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Magazine Feature & Magazine Illustration

An Arnold Roth illustration from “Choosing and Enjoying Wines,” 1965 – In his 50-plus years as a freelance cartoonist, the brilliant Arnold Roth has won 6 times in this category, twice in Sports Cartoons, and once in Special Features. A former NCS President, he has won the Reuben, shares a Silver T-Square with wife Caroline, and is the recipient of the Society’s Gold Key award. More recently, Australian Anton Emdin won the award in 2010 and 2012.

Originally titled Illustration after breaking from Advertising in 1976, this category combined again with Advertising from 1982 to 1985. In 1989 the focus became Magazine and Book Illustration, which was then divided into separate categories. As of 2003, the category was amended to Magazine Feature and Magazine Illustration.

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Newspaper Illustration

Steve McGarry won the 2002 award with this center-spread illustration. The same year, he won the General illustration Award from the Australian Cartoonists Association, the first artist ever to win awards from both societies. On the right, 2008′s winner, Mark Marturello.

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Newspaper Panel

2010 winner Glenn McCoy and 2012 winner Hillary Price. Price also won in 2006 and 2009 and is nominated for the 2013 Reuben Award.

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Newspaper Strips

Rick Kirkman won for ‘Baby Blues’, his co-creation with Jerry Scott, in 1995. The rules were subsequently amended so that both creators are nominated, later allowing Scott to win twice with his ‘Zits’ co-creator, Jim Borgman.

Prior to 1989, strips were adjudicated in two separate categories, Humor Strips and Story Strips.

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