Entry forms are now available for the fourth annual Alternative Newspaper Cartoon Contest. The contest is part of the larger Alternative Newsweekly Awards competition but is administered separately because of its distinct rules for entry.

All cartoons that were regularly published in an AAN paper during calendar year 2003 can be considered. Only cartoons that stand alone as a distinct feature are eligible. Those drawn to illustrate an article do not qualify.

Entries may be submitted by cartoonists or by AAN editors on behalf of cartoonists whose work appears in their papers. All submissions must be received in the AAN office no later than Friday, April 9. If the name of the paper and publication date are not clearly visible on the submitted cartoon, a representative of an AAN-member paper must verify that the entry was published in the paper in 2003.

The contest has two divisions—one for cartoons that were published in fewer than five AAN papers, and another for cartoons that were published in five or more papers. Winners in each division will be announced at the 27th annual AAN Convention in San Antonio, June 24 to 27.

Last year, for the second year in a row, Ruben Bolling (aka Ken Fisher) won for “Tom the Dancing Bug” in the five-or-more category. In the fewer-than-five category last year, Chris Ware won for various strips. He also won in 2001, when the contest had only one division, for his Jimmy Corrigan/Rusty Brown strips. In 2002, Garrett Gaston’s “La Petite Camera” won first place in the fewer-than-five category.

For a copy of the contest rules and an entry form, click here.