National recognition, $1,000 in total prizes and publication awaited the first place winners of an international contest that encouraged writer-illustrators from collegiate newspapers to send submissions of the messages they wanted to convey to the world. Judged in two categories, either as an Editorial Cartoon or a Comic Strip/Panel, cartoonists from Texas to Canada submitted their best work.

For some, the contest brought more than just prizes - Nate Creekmore, first place winner of the comic strip category, will now take his talents from the David Lipscomb University "Babbler" in Nashville, Ten., to the silver screen of comic strips: a development deal is underway to turn the comic strip he started as a freshman in college into a nationally syndicated comic strip to be released in 2007 with Universal Press Syndicate, the co-sponsor of this year's contest.

Creekmore's strip, called "Maintaining," offers a look at life's peculiarities and absurdities through the eyes of a biracial high school student and encourages his readers to adopt a deeper perspective of life.

"I deal with everything from stereotypes to relationships to American culture," said Creekmore. "I want people to smile when they read the strip, and maybe even laugh, but the main thing I want them to do is to think."

The contest recognizes an intellectual union of humor and reality behind creating editorial cartoons, of which Creekmore is familiar.

"For me, the comic strip is the perfect marriage of the [writing and drawing]," he said. "It's a way for me to express what I am thinking about without coming across as pretentious or high-minded."

Artists and writers drew on their personal experiences to develop submissions reflective of their personal lives.

"The idea for my strip came from a favorite children's book," said Michelle Gruben, second place winner of the Comic Panel/Strip category. Gruben's enjoyment of the book about a little girl who faces a world where everything is a math problem inspired her to make her panel about how she would prefer to solve the meaning of life.

"As a numerophobe myself, I can sympathize," said Gruben.

To her readers of the "Mercury" at the University of Texas, Dallas (and now across the nation) she says, "The message is that you can sometimes fake your way through an essay exam, but don't even try it on a math test."

The submissions were not all as subdued as Gruben's academic-oriented statement.

Notorious for biting, quick-witted statements about controversial topics, many editorial cartoon submissions reflected some collegiate perspectives regarding controversial issues, including racial discrimination and the war on terror.

Thematic elements submitted as a reaction to the occurrences in our world included the work of Sakura Christmas of Harvard University's "Harvard Crimson" newspaper. Christmas won second place for her editorial cartoon responding to President Bush's appointment of Condoleeza Rice as the new Secretary of State. The cartoon portrays Rice swinging a hammer at political adversaries who pop out of a carnival game.

"...I was extremely disappointed that [Colin] Powell left, and I was also apprehensive about his replacement, especially since U.S. foreign relations are so precarious now," Christmas said. "Condi Rice is holding a hammer because the irony is that one should not stubbornly hammer people into submission. That's not diplomacy."

Conor Geoghegan, of the Mount Royal College "Reflector" in Calgary, Alberta, was awarded the first place editorial cartoon award for his satire of gay marriage bans by "comparing them to similarly 'logical' legal rights restrictions throughout history."

Geoghegan's strip included an old man who represented outdated thinking in North American law "…hence the outdated moustache," Geoghegan said. The Reflector selected this method out of several potential cartoons addressing the gay rights issue because it was most congruent with a matching article.

Others instead find the communication merits of cartooning to be found in relaying messages of universal understanding through their work.

Luke McKenzie, of the University Texas, Dallas "Mercury" just wants to relate to others through "Black and White," his winning comic panel about an anthropomorphic dog in a school full of humans.

...It's very important to me that 'Black and White' addresses issues relevant to University of Texas, Dallas," said McKenzie. "This ensures I have plenty of material and a sympathetic audience, since the community can easily identify with it."

Percy, his canine character, has a unique perspective on university life: "I imagine [being a dog among humans] makes him feel left out on occasion, just as everyone sometimes feels."

Whether helping others find inspiration to make a political stand or just a laugh about how life's most amusing moments are commonly understood, the art of cartooning grants writers a unique, yet time-tested medium that can convey any type of message. Many of the ACP winners agreed that if they could continue cartooning for a career, they would jump at the chance.

"This award was personally very encouraging for me because I've pretty much always wanted to be a cartoonist," Geoghegan said. "Until I can somehow make a living off of cartooning, though, I'll just keep trying to improve."

It truly is a strategically crafted blend of text and art that keeps America creating and reading art...with a purpose.

Said McKenzie: "If the strip connects with people, makes them laugh and think about their world a little differently, I call it a success."

The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. For more information regarding submitting cartoons for the next ACP awards, visit www.studentpress.org/acp/contests.html, and ask your college newspaper if it is a member of the ACP.

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