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Some scholars say Benjamin Franklin published the first American political cartoon in 1754. It was drawn by a fellow who worked for him and was aimed at depicting the squabbles between the Thirteen Colonies during the French and Indian War, according to Wikipedia. The rattlesnake artwork later emerged as the iconic symbol of the American Revolution.

So here’s your chance to create political commentary that could be just as enduring. Civil Beat is hosting a contest for aspiring editorial cartoonists here in the islands as a way to give emerging artists a platform to contribute to the community conversation on issues that are important here.

We’re looking for talented artists who can combine their artistic skill with humor, satire, hyperbole or whatever it takes to catch people’s attention and help them better understand the political and social issues we’re living with. We’re hoping to find new voices to add to the work that our longtime cartoonist, John Pritchett, has been producing. So, no, we’re not replacing him but hoping to bolster this particular editorial genre in the pages of Civil Beat.

Traditionally, political cartoonists like Pritchett have focused on public policy and civic affairs, calling attention to corruption and government malfeasance. We think a regular editorial cartoon would be a great addition to our Sunshine Project, which seeks to improve accountability, transparency and ethical behavior at all levels of government and the media.

So let’s start with a contest and see who shows up.

The rules are simple: Send us your best work — up to three pieces per cartoonist — and our Sunshine Editorial Board will select first, second and third place winners. We’ll pay $500 for first place, $300 for second and $100 for third. We’ll publish some of them in a story about the contest winners, so by entering you’re giving your permission to do so.

UPDATE: Based on a question we received after this was published, here are a couple of clarifications. Entries must be original and not already published elsewhere. And you must submit under your real name, no pen names or pseudonyms.

The deadline for submissions is June 5. Send your entries to sunshine@civilbeat.org.

After that, we’re hoping this leads to a stable of regular cartoonists who will contribute frequently. We’ll pay you a freelance fee for those, of course.

Lots to be inspired by these days! The Legislature just ended. The 2024 election campaigns are about to begin. And don’t forget the never-ending corruption, abuse of power, bribery convictions and pay-to-play politics that permeate state and county government.

You may even find something good to illustrate — communities taking charge, neighbors helping neighbors, heroic acts, moments of kindness. Those things warrant a good dose of public sunshine, too.

So get to drawing. We’re looking forward to seeing what Hawaii’s best creative talent comes up with.