The Reuben Statue

Each year, during the NCS Annual Reuben Awards Weekend, the Society honors the year’s outstanding achievements in all walks of the profession.

The recipient of our profession’s highest honor, the REUBEN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR is chosen by a secret ballot of the members.

Excellence in the fields of newspaper strips, newspaper panels, TV animation, feature animation, newspaper illustration, gag cartoons, book illustration, greeting cards, comic books, magazine feature/magazine illustration, and editorial cartoons, is honored in the NCS Division Awards, which are chosen by specially-convened juries at the chapter level.

The Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, as is the Silver T-Square, an award that recognizes outstanding service to the Society and the profession.

SCROLL DOWN FOR A FULL LIST OF WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY.

The Reuben Award

THE OUTSTANDING CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR is chosen by a secret ballot of the members of the National Cartoonists Society. The REUBEN AWARD is the highest honor that the profession bestows. As with all the NCS awards, the winner need not be a member of the Society.

The award was previously called the Billy DeBeck Memorial Award, and the recipient received an engraved silver cigarette box. The Reuben was introduced in 1954 and is named after longtime Honorary President Rube Goldberg. The statue is based on one of Goldberg’s irreverent pieces of sculpture. The eight winners who had received the “Barney,” as the Billy DeBeck Award was dubbed, subsequently received Reuben statuettes and are termed Reuben winners in the Society’s annals.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTWORK and BIOGRAPHIES OF THE REUBEN WINNERS.

From Left: Rube Goldberg wins the Reuben in 1967. Sergio Aragones wins in 1996. Mell Lazarus wins in 1981.

The Caniff

THE MILTON CANIFF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD is awarded by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors. It is given for a lifetime of outstanding and accomplished work to a cartoonist who has not previously won a Reuben. (The one exception was the posthumous award to Charles M. Schulz, who was awarded a unique Golden Caniff for his outstanding contribution to the artform.)

Morrie Turner, pictured with Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Michael Ramirez, San Francisco, 2003.

• 1994 HARRY DEVLIN
• 1994 WILL EISNER
• 1995 AL HIRSCHFELD
• 1996 JACK DAVIS
• 1997 DALE MESSICK
• 1998 BILL GALLO
• 1999 CHARLES SCHULZ
• 2002 JERRY ROBINSON

• 2003 MORRIE TURNER
• 2004 JULES FEIFFER
• 2005 GAHAN WILSON
• 2006 RALPH STEADMAN
• 2007 SANDRA BOYNTON
• 2008 FRANK FRAZETTA
• 2009 JOE KUBERT
• 2009 GEORGE BOOTH
• 2010 R.O. BLECHMAN

Art by Jack Davis

The T-Square

THE GOLD T-SQUARE is awarded for 50 years as professional cartoonist. So far, two have been presented: to RUBE GOLDBERG in 1955 and to MORT WALKER in 1999.

THE SILVER T-SQUARE is awarded, by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, to persons who have demonstrated outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession. The recipients to date are:

• 1948 DAVID LOW
• 1949 CARL ED
• 1949 CLIFF STERRETT
• 1949 H.C. "BUD" FISHER
• 1949 FRANK KING
• 1949 GEORGE McMANUS
• 1950 JOHN SNYDER
• 1950 HARRY S. TRUMAN
• 1950 MARTIN BRANNER
• 1950 JAMES BERRYMAN
• 1951 REG MANNING
• 1953 ED KUEKES
• 1954 GEORGE M. HUMPHREY
• 1954 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
• 1954 HERBERT BLOCK
• 1956 GLUYAS WILLIAMS
• 1956 JAMES THURBER
• 1956 AL POSEN
• 1956 AL PIEROTTI
• 1957 HARRY HERSHFIELD
• 1957 MILTON CANIFF
• 1957 TOM LITTLE
• 1957 BOB DUNN
• 1958 RUSSELL PATTERSON
• 1959 CARL ROSE
• 1959 BILL MAULDIN
• 1960 McGOWAN MILLER
• 1960 BEN ROTH (posthumous)
• 1961 MORT WALKER
• 1961 JOE MUSIAL
• 1962 EDMUND VALTMAN
• 1963 STEVE DOUGLAS

• 1964 VERNON GREENE
• 1964 TOM GILL
• 1967 AL SMITH
• 1969 IRWIN HASEN
• 1969 OTTO SOGLOW
• 1969 DICK ERICSON
• 1970 GEORGE WUNDER
• 1970 ALFRED ANDRIOLA
• 1971 FRANK FOGARTY
• 1971 DICK HODGINS Sr.
• 1972 WALT KELLY
• 1972 JOHN NORMENT
• 1972 LARRY KATZMAN
• 1972 DAVID PASCAL
• 1973 BILL CRAWFORD
• 1973 JOHN FISCHETTI
• 1973 JACK TIPPIT
• 1974 "TACK" KNIGHT
• 1974 ISADORE KLEIN
• 1975 JACK ROSEN
• 1975 HAL FOSTER
• 1976 AL KILGORE
• 1977 PAUL SZEP
• 1977 BILL KRESSE
• 1977 LYMAN YOUNG
• 1978 BILL GALLO
• 1978 JIM RUTH
• 1978 HANK KETCHAM
• 1979 DICK HODGINS Jr.
• 1979 SYLVAN BYCK
• 1979 ED MITCHELL
• 1979 JIM IVEY

• 1980 BUCK PETERS
• 1981 JOHN CULLEN MURPHY
• 1982 GEORGE WOLFE
• 1984 SAM NORKIN
• 1986 LEE FALK
• 1992 CREIG FLESSEL
• 1992 HERB JACOBY
• 1993 GEORGE BREISACHER
• 1995 ARNOLD/CAROLINE ROTH
• 1996 DAVID FOLKMAN
• 1996 BILL JANOCHA
• 1997 TIM ROSENTHAL
• 1998 JOE DUFFY
• 2000 MELL LAZARUS
• 2001 TED GOFF
• 2001 FRANK PAUER
• 2002 BIL KEANE
• 2002 JOSEPH D’ANGELO
• 2003 JUD HURD
• 2003 JOHN McMEEL
• 2005 DICK LOCHER
• 2006 JOE/LUKE McGARRY
• 2007 STU REES
• 2008 JAMES KEMSLEY (posthumous)
• 2008 JEFF BACON
• 2010 LUCY CASWELL
• 2011 STEVE McGARRY

Division Awards

• ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
• COMIC BOOKS
• MAGAZINE FEATURE /
  MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
• BOOK ILLUSTRATION

• ANIMATION FEATURE
• EDITORIAL CARTOONS
• NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
• GREETING CARDS
• DISCONTINUED CATEGORIES

• ANIMATION TELEVISION
• GAG CARTOONS
• NEWSPAPER PANELS
• NEWSPAPER STRIPS

Other Awards

THE ACE AWARD

The “AMATEUR CARTOONIST EXTRAORDINARY” award, primarily ceremonial, is given to a celebrity or notable who aspired at one time to become a cartoonist, but whose path led them to an entirely different career. This list reflects the cumulative data that currently exists:

• 1961 ARNE RHODE
• 1962 CAROL BURNETT
• 1963 HUGH HEFNER
• 1963 JONATHAN WINTERS
• 1964 CHUCK McCANN
• 196? CLIFF ARQUETTE
• 1967 JACKIE GLEASON
• 1970 ORSON BEAN
• 1972 BOBBY DAY
• 1973 ROBERT LANSING

• 1974 JANE POWELL
• 1975 RITA MORENO
• 197? BOYD LEWIS
• 1979 LINDA GIALANELLA
• 1980 GINGER ROGERS
• 1981 CLAIRE TREVOR
• 1990 JOHN UPDIKE
• 1991 AL ROKER
• 1992 TOM WOLFE
• 1993 PETE HAMILL

• 1996 DENIS LEARY
• 1998 MORLEY SAFER

Rocky Graziano accepts his No.1 Award.

This primarily ceremonial award was given to the sports personality of the year. Sculpted by Bill Crawford, it was presented at Sports Night. Our list reflects the cumulative data that currently exists:

• 1968 RALPH HOUK
• 1970 GIL HODGES
• 1971 JACK DEMPSEY
• 1971 JOAN WHITNEY PAYSON
• 1972 LEROY “SATCHEL” PAIGE
• 1974 ROCKY GRAZIANO
• 1974 MONTE IRWIN

• 197? CASEY STENGEL
• 19?? PEARL BAILEY
• 19?? YOGI BERRA
• 19?? DAVE DeBUSSCHERE
• 19?? REGGIE JACKSON
• 19?? WILLIS REED
• 1984 PHIL RIZZUTO

THE ELZIE SEGAR AWARD

This award is presented to a person who has made a unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning. The winner was selected by the NCS Board and later by King Features Syndicate, in honor of “Popeye” creator, Elzie Segar.

• 1971 MILTON CANIFF
• 1972 OTTO SOGLOW
• 1973 DIK BROWNE
• 1974 RUSSELL PATTERSON
• 1975 BOB DUNN
• 1976 BILL GALLO
• 1977 MORT WALKER
• 1978 HAL FOSTER
• 1979 AL CAPP (posthumous)
• 1980 CHARLES M. SCHULZ

• 1981 JOHNNY HART
• 1982 BIL KEANE
• 1983 JOHN CULLEN MURPHY
• 1984 FRED LASSWELL
• 1985 JIM DAVIS
• 1986 BRANT PARKER
• 1987 MIKE PETERS
• 1994 FRED LASSWELL
• 1996 TOM ARMSTRONG
• 1999 MORT WALKER

"Popeye" by Elzie Segar ©King Features Syndicate Inc.

THE AWARD OF HONOR

This award was for recognition of the American cartoon as an instrument in war, peace, education and in the artistic betterment of our cultural environment. On September 22, 1965, the following were honored:
GENERAL OMAR N. BRADLEY, WALTER CRONKITE, JOHN C. DALY and JOHN CAMERON SWAYZE.

GOLD KEY AWARD

The National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame.

• 1977 HAL FOSTER
• 1978 EDWINA DUMM
• 1979 RAEBURN VAN BUREN
• 1979 HERBERT BLOCK
• 1980 RUBE GOLDBERG (posthumous)

• 1981 MILTON CANIFF
• 2000 ARNOLD ROTH
• 2005 LARRY KATZMAN
• 2006 MORT WALKER
• 2008 MELL LAZARUS

• 2008 BIL KEANE
• 2009 BILL GALLO
• 2010 ROY DOTY
• 2011 STAN GOLDBERG

Other awards have been presented to notables and others during theme events. MARGE DUFFY DEVINE, HERB JACOBY and JIM RUSSELL all reveived special awards for outstanding service to the NCS.
The TIM ROSENTHAL AWARD is a chapter award to recognize outstanding service at chapter level.