Increase in Submitted Works; 66 Posters Made It to the Festival Book

According to a reporter from the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA); the closing press conference of the International Online Terror Cartoon and Poster Event was held on the morning of Saturday, December 6, 2025. This meeting was held with the presence of Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, the event secretary, and Masoud Nejabati, the head of the jury, at the new building of the Maktab-e Haj Qassem in Somayeh Street.

Initially, Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, the secretary of this event, stated that the assassination of resistance heroes in the international media space and cyberspace provided the basis for designing this event. He said: “This event, organized by Maktab-e Haj Qassem with the assistance of Zeinab Soleimani, issued a call for entries in two sections, ‘Poster’ and ‘Cartoon,’ allowing artists worldwide to visually express complex concepts of cyber-terrorism, digital censorship, and the suppression of the voice of resistance. In the poster section, artists depicted themes such as online terror, the removal of resistance heroes from cyberspace, and media violence with graphic, symbolic, and universal expressions. Many submitted posters have the potential to become international visual statements, conveying impactful messages with the simplest visual elements. In the cartoon section, a critical view of the content policies of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook was prominent; platforms that outwardly advocate freedom of expression but have effectively become major censors in the digital world.”

He further added: “In recent years, the hegemonic system, relying on the exclusive power of media platforms, has systematically removed pages and content related to resistance leaders such as Martyr General Qassem Soleimani, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Ismail Haniyeh. This digital removal is not merely a media action but a modern form of ‘narrative terrorism’.”

Regarding the event’s prizes, which are a valuing factor and earned 5 stars (the highest score) from the International Event Valuation Organization, he explained: “The prizes for this competition are also one of its strengths. In both cartoon and poster sections, the first-place winner receives 2,000 Euros, the second-place winner 1,500 Euros, and the third-place winner 1,000 Euros. Additionally, five special prizes of 500 Euros are allocated in each section. The total cash prizes for the competition amount to 14,000 Euros, placing it among the most prestigious international festivals. This level of attention and financial support demonstrates serious valuing of art’s role in combating media and cyber violence.”

The secretary of the closing ceremony of the International Online Terror Cartoon and Poster Event announced the number of participants: “In this edition, over 426 artists submitted 1,835 works from 61 countries, a figure that places this event among the most respected political art competitions of the year 2025. Approximately 270 artists from Asia, 85 from Europe, and over 55 from Latin America participated. Artists from Africa, North America, and Oceania also contributed to the competition. Iran led participation with 175 artists, shining particularly in the quality and depth of works. Indonesia with 40 artists, Turkey with over 30 artists, China with 23 artists, Brazil with 17 participants, Serbia with 12, Russia with 9, and Cuba with 8 were among other prominent countries in this edition. This competition successfully gathered artists from 61 countries on a common front.”

Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, referring to the multicultural judging and the participation of prominent international judges in this event, said: “The judging for this edition was carried out by prominent international figures. Ivan Lira from Venezuela, Jitet Kustana from Indonesia, and Eray Özbek from Turkey served as international judges, while professors Masoud Nejabati, Abbas Naseri, Hossein Niroomand, and Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei from Iran formed the jury panel. The presence of this composition from three continents doubled the global credibility of the competition and ensured that the judging of works was multicultural, professional, and fair.”

He announced the timing of the exhibition and closing ceremony of this event, saying: “The exhibition of selected works from this competition will open on Monday, December 30, 2025, in three galleries of Hoze Honari. The official awards ceremony will also be held on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Hoze Honari. At this ceremony, with the presence of international judges, prominent global artists, and cultural guests, the final winners will be announced, and the official competition trophy, certificates of appreciation, and cash prizes will be awarded to them. Also, the official book or catalog of the competition, which includes selected works from both cartoon and poster sections, will be unveiled for the first time at this ceremony, and copies will be presented to selected artists and special guests.”

Further in the meeting, Masoud Nejabati, the head of the jury, referred to the main goal of this event and said: “This is the fourth event, following ‘Palestine is Not Alone,’ ‘Holocaust,’ and others, organized with the aim of identifying graphic designers at an international level who are aligned with us. This is a point where we are weak.”

The secretary of the closing ceremony of the International Online Terror Cartoon and Poster Event explained the judging criteria: “The judging criteria were the usual ones in the field of graphics, except that we explicitly gave special importance to clarity of expression after creativity and technical skill. In fact, clarity in ideation and expression was the most important criterion. We were very strict in selecting works, as we wanted to receive professional works and avoided accepting pieces created with artificial intelligence.”

He noted that festivals gain credibility through continuity: “The first step in the continuity and credibility of festivals is the consistency of the call for entries and the longevity of the festivals. Continued organization of festivals can bring a large number of works and credibility to the festival. The number of works received in this festival was good compared to the first round of the event. Out of 535 works submitted in the poster section, 256 works were selected for the second stage by the selection committee. Among these works, 66 posters were chosen for exhibition and publication in the festival book.”

Following this meeting, Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei and Masoud Nejabati answered questions from reporters from various media outlets. Seyed Masoud Shojaei Tabatabaei, the secretary of this event, in response to a question from an IBNA (Iran Book News Agency) reporter about the published book of the event, explained: “Due to high publication costs, we will only print a limited number of physical books at the end of the event and provide them to closing ceremony participants. However, the electronic book version of this event will be uploaded on various specialized websites. This electronic version will be uploaded on Maktab-e Haj Qassem, Iran Cartoon, and specialized graphic magazines websites. Regarding the publication of electronic books, the book from the ‘Palestine is Not Alone’ event was previously published and has had 500,000 views. You can never achieve these statistics with a physical version, so the electronic book of works from this event will also be published after the closing ceremony.”