The First National Cartoon Contest

The Toonistan National Cartoon Contest is organized in collaboration with the IIE Artist Protection Fund and Studio Marshmallow. This initiative offers a unique opportunity for Afghan cartoonists to showcase their work.

Themes:

  1. Women in Afghanistan
  2. Free Theme

Contest Prizes:

  • 1st Place: 20,000 AFN
  • 2nd Place: 12,000 AFN

Submission Guidelines:

  • Each artist may submit up to 3 artworks.
  • Minimum size per artwork: 30×40 cm.
  • File size must not exceed 5 MB per artwork.
  • No restrictions on artistic technique.
  • Submitted works must be original and created by the artist.
  • Participation is free of charge for all.
  • Submissions must not contain offensive, racist, extremist political, or unethical content.
  • AI-generated artworks are not allowed if fully created by artificial intelligence.
  • Once submitted, artworks cannot be edited or replaced.
  • By submitting, artists agree that their works may be used for exhibition, promotion, and publications related to the contest.
  • The decision of the jury is final and non-negotiable.
  • Selected artists must provide high-resolution versions of their works upon request.

Submission Deadline: April 15
Exhibition: Selected works will be presented at a public exhibition in Hamburg, Germany.

Submit your artworks & get more information at: info@Toonistan.com

Toonistan – A platform to spotlight the creativity and voices of Afghan cartoonists!

New Update: 27 April 2025

Jury Panel – Toonistan Cartoon Contest

The Toonistan Cartoon Contest is proud to be supported by a distinguished jury panel composed of experts in art, culture, and media. Their valuable insights and fair evaluation have played a key role in selecting the works featured in this exhibition.

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© Marie Becker

Laura-Helen Rüge
Since October 1, 2016, Laura-Helen Rüge has served as Advisor for Intercultural Projects at the Ministry of Culture and Media in Hamburg. Previously, she worked as the personal advisor to Hamburg’s Senator for Culture, Prof. Barbara Kisseler, and earlier as Deputy Press Officer. During her studies, she worked with various cultural institutions in Berlin and Hamburg, including Deutsches Theater, Theatertreffen, Deutsches Schauspielhaus, and in media with ARTE Paris and ZDF’s Capital Studio. She studied in Bremen, Potsdam, and Avignon, specializing in EU cultural policy and the development of a European public sphere. At the Ministry, she leads programs such as INTRO, which connects artists who have had to leave their home countries with cultural institutions in Hamburg.

Michael Kress

Michael Kress is a conceptual artist, curator, and lecturer based in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. His work explores the intersection of image and language in art and media. He has initiated numerous international projects with artists from Japan, China, South Korea, the USA, Finland, France, and the Netherlands. Kress served on the board of the International Association of Art Germany (IGBK) from 1996 to 2002 and the German Artists’ Association from 2012 to 2022. In 2012, he founded HyperCulturalPassenger, which has been based on the Elbe Island Veddel since 2019.

Websites: michaelkress.de, hyperculturalpassengers.org

Maren Amini

is an illustrator based in Hamburg . she earned her diploma in Illustration and Communication Design from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in 2009. In 2010/11, she studied series concepts at the Academy for Children’s Media in Erfurt.


“To us, Toonistan is a truly beautiful and important project. Especially today, everyone working in the arts should stand in solidarity with Afghan artists. There should be much more awareness of the fact that there is still a country where art, music, and education are banned. I deeply respect all those who keep going despite everything.

One work that especially touched me was T034 Mah Gul. It is a powerful symbol—mending a torn and destroyed flag—even though I’m not usually a fan of flags. In Afghanistan, the divisions between ethnic groups run so deep that it feels as though the country may never be united again.”

Website: www.maren-amini.de

Maren Amini and her father Ahmadjan Amini

Noëlle Kröger
(b. 1997, He/She) is a comic artist based in Hamburg and a member of Comicfestival Hamburg since 2018. Noëlle is best known for their works “Das Unbehagen des Guten Menschen” and “Meute”, which have received multiple awards and have been translated into several languages.
Website: noellekroeger.com






New Update: 29 April 2025

Selected Artists – Toonistan Exhibition

We are proud to present the works of the following Afghan cartoonists whose artworks have been selected for the Toonistan Exhibition in Hamburg. Their pieces stood out for their creativity, courage, and powerful expression:

Mahgul Ashrafee

Mohammad Hashemi

Mohammad Reza Rahmani

The Warrior with a Pen

Kingartali

Ali Sarfaraz

Amena Hussaini

Amena Musavi

Hasiba Haidary

Hasina Akbari (Darya)

Sayed Hassan Samedi

MD

M. Esa Mohammadi

Mozhdah Paiman

Shabnam Faqirzada

Shirin Yosufi

These artists reflect the diverse and vibrant voices of Afghan visual storytelling.
The first and second prize winners of the Toonistan Cartoon Contest will be officially announced during the exhibition opening on 8 May 2025.

Stay tuned …