The Cartoon Festival of Knokke-Heist (Dutch: Cartoonfestival Knokke-Heist) is an annual international festival in the Belgian municipality Knokke-Heist showcasing cartoons from all over the world. Various prizes are also awarded during the festival, including the Golden Hat (Dutch: Gouden hoed), the most prestigious, as well as the Silver Hat (Dutch: Zilveren hoed) and the Bronze Hat (Dutch: Bronzen hoed). It is the oldest cartoon festival in the world, with the first edition taking place in 1962. A book of 100 selected cartoons is published annually.
History The first festival was organized in 1962 with the theme of tourists. About 25 Belgian cartoonists were approached. Among them were the cartoonists Bob de Moor and Marc Sleen. Other participants included Cram, Dani, GAL, GoT, , Pil en Ploeg. The first festival was attended by 17,136 visitors. The first jury included , Gaston Durnez, Rik Sabbick and .
Awards +YearGolden HatSilver HatBronze HatKnack AwardAudience PrizeDavidsfonds Cartoon PrizeDavids fonds Prize for Young TalentThe Davidsfonds Prize2003Michael Kountouris (Greece)Ross Thomson (United Kingdom)Domenico Sicolo (Italy)Ciosu Constantin (Romania)Liviu Stanilla (Romania)N/AN/AN/A2004Yuri Ochakovsky (Israel/Russia)Janusz Stefaniak (Poland)Yevgeniy Samoylov (Ukraine)Osmani Simanca (Brazil)Ludo Goderis (Belgium)N/ASven De Bock (Belgium)N/A2005Ciosu Constantin (Romania)Dieter Bevers (Belgium)Herman Poppe (Belgium)Pawel Kuczynski (Poland)Virgil Militaru (Romania)Luc Vermeersch (Belgium)N/AN/A2006Yuri Ochakovsky (Israel/Russia)Khodayar Naroei (Iran)Pol Leurs (Luxembourg)Michael Permyakov (Russia)Toon Beuckels (Belgium)Ludo Goderis (Belgium)N/AN/A2007Alessandro Gatto (Italy)Ari Plikat (Germany)Yuriy Kosobukin (Ukraine)Igor Kiyko (Kazakhstan)Stefaan Provijn (Belgium)Dieter Bevers (Belgium)N/AN/A2008Pawel Kuczynski (Poland)Moacrir Gutteres (Brazil)Pol Leurs (Luxembourg)Masafumi Kikuchi (Japan)Jean Uytterelst (Belgium)Kenny Zoutendijk (Belgium)N/AN/A2009Musa Gümüs (Turkey)Ludo Goderis (Belgium)Alessandro Gatto (Italy)Michael Kountouris (Greece)Pedro Mendez Suarez (Cuba)Luc Vermeersch (Belgium)N/AN/A2010Ludo Goderis (Belgium)Pawel Kuczynski (Poland)Constantin Sunnerberg (Belgium)Ren Jian (Cuba)Pedro Mendez Suarez (Cuba)Luc Vernimmen (Belgium)N/AN/A2011Pol Leurs (Luxembourg)Stefaan Provijn (Belgium)Mohamad Ali Khoshman (Iran)Vladimir Stankovski (Serbia)Felipe Galindo (United States)Herman Danneels (Belgium)N/AN/A2012Krzysztof Konopelski (Poland)Ahmet Aykanat (Turkey)Markus Grolik (Germany)N/AVirgil Militaru (Romania)Jo Van Damme (Belgium)N/AN/A2013Spiro Radulovic (Serbia)Nicola Hendrickx (Belgium)Victor Crudu (Moldova)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2014Dieter Bevers (Belgium)Kiliçaslan Musa* (Turkey)Katz Grigori (Israel)N/AN/AN/AN/A2015Vladimir Stankovski (Serbia)Klaus Pitter (Austria)Mark Lynch (Australia)N/AN/AN/AN/AAlfons Vos (Belgium)2016Dalcio Machado (Brazil)Engin Selçuk (Turkey)Slawomir Makal (Poland)N/AN/AN/AN/A2017Xavier Bonilla (Ecuador)Zbigniew Wowniak (Poland)Alexandrov Vasiliy (Russia)N/AN/AN/AN/ALuc Descheemaeker (Belgium)2018Saeed Sadeghi (Iran)Vasco Cargalo (Portugal)Ivailo Tsvetkov (Bulgaria)N/AN/AN/AN/A‘Fhoomp!’ (Belgium)2019'Nirgen' (Israel)Dimitrios Georgopalis (Greece)Agim Sulaj (Italy)N/AN/AN/AN/AAlfons Vos (Belgium)2020Doede Okkema (Netherlands)Hamid Ghalijari (Iran)Luis Demetrio Calvo Solis (Costa Rica)N/AN/AN/AN/ALuc Vernimmen (Belgium)2021Javad Takjoo (Iran)Philipp Sturm (Germany)Engin Selçuk (Turkey)N/AN/AN/AN/A‘Fhoomp!’ (Belgium)2022Elvandro Alves (Brazil)‘Fhoomp!’ (Belgium)Ba Bilig (China)N/AN/AN/AN/AStefaan Provijn (Belgium)2023Doede Okkema (Netherlands)Ghislain Vermote (Belgium)Ludo Goderis (Belgium)N/AN/AN/AN/ALudo Goderis (Belgium)2024Ernst (Austria)Jona Jamart (Belgium)Oleksiy Kustovsky (Ukraine)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A * The 2014 Silver Hat was initially awarded to Iranian Mohammadreza Babaei, who was later disqualified as the cartoon he submitted was plagiarized from a design by Milton Graser.
Panel/jury 2003: Guido Depraetere, Peter van Straaten, Stefan Verwey, Dirk Denoyelle, Kim Duchateau, Zaza 2004: Guido Depreatere, Inge Heremans, Bart Schoofs, Karl Meersman, Carry Goossens, Peter Frison 2005: Guido Depraetere, Jeroom, Canary Pete, Steve, Marec 2006: Guido Depraetere, Karl Meersman, Lies Maertens, Quirit, Ilah, Katrien De Vreese 2007: Marec, Kim, Peter Nieuwendijk, Bob Vincke, Hein De Meyere, Katrien De Vreese 2008: Bob Vincke, Ludo Goderis, Kurt Defrancq, Katrien De Vreese, Dieter Bevers 2009: Karl Meersman, Kim Duchateau, Steven Degryse, Katrien De Vreese, Rudy Gheysens 2010: Rudy Gheysens, Katrien De Vreese, Steven Degryse, Guido Packolet, Pieter De Poortere, Bart Stolle 2011: Frank JMA Castelyns, Kurt Valkeneers, Steven Degryse, Steve Michiels, Luc Janssen, Katrien De Vreese, Guido Packolet 2012: Geert Hoste, Fleur Van Groningen, Jonas Geirnaert, Sam De Graeve, Inge Heremans, Urbanus, Katrien De Vreese 2024: Pieter De Poortere, Steven Degryse, Laura Janssens, Karl Meersman, Prudence Geerts, Tine Anthoni, Steve Michiels, Kim Duchateau, cartoonist KIM, Toon Horsten
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