Sunday, January 15, 2023

Blog Post No. 4200: The First New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest?

The history of The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest is pretty straightforward. The magazine published an annual Cartoon Issue from 1997–2012. The caption contest began in the 1998 Cartoon Issue and continued annually until 2005 when it became a regular weekly feature. Yet there was at least one earlier contest that did not appear in print, perhaps the magazine's first caption contest, held in June of 1990 at an event sponsored by the Beverly Hills Hotel. The cartoonist was Edward Koren. The hotel is featured in the drawing.

The only knowledge I have of this contest is from an artifact spotted on eBay, the framed award for the winning caption. That caption seems to be a response to Koren's signature manner of drawing faces. I don't know whether the drawing framed under glass is an original or a print. The piece was listed on eBay three times in late 2018 and early 2019 but it failed to attract even a $25 bid. I lost track of it after this.




Edward Koren
eBay listing ended December 31, 2018

Edward Koren
eBay item description







Note:  I would like to hear from anyone with something to add to this admittedly incomplete story. Was this the only sponsored caption contest with a New Yorker connection?

Editor Harold Ross had his own caption contest at Judge before he started The New Yorker. Read all about it on Ink Spill here.


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