About & press

Biography, portrait, awards and CV for editors, festivals and organisers. Licences and high-resolution files are on request.

Jay Javad Takjoo
J.J. Takjoo. Open the portrait; a larger file is available on request.

Biography

A globally recognized digital artist and cartoonist, Jay Javad Takjoo creates visual narratives that critique the pressing issues of our time. From political power dynamics to environmental crises, his work delves into deep cultural and institutional challenges. Jay’s portfolio is rooted in a commitment to human rights, social justice, and the fundamental right to personal privacy, always championing the power of freedom of expression.

Beyond his sociopolitical commentary, Jay’s practice encompasses a rich, imaginative landscape. He merges the sharp, conceptual clarity of a cartoonist with surrealism and the abstract. These works explore the profound intersections of nature and philosophy, using a playful yet piercing lens to visualize the complexities of the human experience and the unseen forces that shape our world.

With a career spanning over 25 years, he has garnered more than 40 international awards and is an active member of various international cartooning organizations.

Licensing and high-res files

Every work is © J.J. Takjoo. To reprint or show a piece, ask for a licence: say which piece, where it will appear and when. Terms and high-resolution files come with the reply. Each artwork also has a “Licence / high-res” button (“Request licence / high-res” for works not in the shop).

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Selected works

Awards

Newest first. See them with the winning works.

  • 2026Second Prize, 49th International Satyrykon Exhibition ::: Satyrykon Cultural and Social Foundation (Fundacja Satyrykon), Legnica, Poland, for “Comfortable Loop”
  • Honourable Mention, 10th Int'l Alanya Cartoon Competition ::: Alanya Turistik İşletmeciler Derneği (ALTİD) , Alanya, Türkiye, for “Caravan of Silence”
  • 2025Second Prize, 4th Edition International Exhibition ::: 94th Anniversary of Iraqi Cartoon Day ::: The Iraqi Caricature House, Baghdad, Iraq, for “Parched Hope”
  • Third Prize - Bronze Plaque, 23rd International Anti-war Cartoon Festival ::: International Biennial Salon of Anti-War Caricature, Kragujevac, Serbia, for “The Knot of Conflict”
  • First Prize, 25th Euro Kartoenale ::: European Cartoon Center (ECC), Kruishoutem, Belgium, for “The Hat - Hats Off”
  • Award of Excellence, 25th International Editorial Cartoon Competition ::: World Press Freedom Canada, Ottawa, Canada, for “The Truth is a Bit Murky”
  • Special Honor Diploma & Personal Gallery, 16th HumoDEVA International Cartoon Contest ::: HumorPLA.NET, Deva, Romania, for “I, Too Once Had a Home”
  • Success Award, 40th Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition (Aydın Doğan Uluslararası Karikatür Yarışması) ::: Aydın Doğan Foundation, Istanbul, Türkiye, for “Forbidden Knowledge”
  • 2024Honorable Mention, XXXII Int'l Festival of Satire and Humor ::: Studio d'Arte Andromeda, Trento, Italy, for “Forbidden Knowledge”
  • Special Award, IX Biennial of Humor ::: Penela City Council & The Espinhal Parish Council (Junta de Freguesia de Espinhal) & Oliveira Guimarães Family House & Humorgrafe, Penela, Portugal, for “Awakened Woman”
  • 2023Mention Prize, 10th KalDer Bursa International Cartoon Contest ::: KalDer Bursa, Bursa, Türkiye, for “All I Need to Have”
  • Second Prize, 24th Euro-kartoenale ::: European Cartoon Center (ECC), Kruishoutem, Belgium, for “Future of Mobility”
  • 2021Second Prize, by Jury, International Cartoon Competition on Forced Labour ::: International Labour Organization (ILO) & Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF) & Cartooning for Peace, Paris, France, for “Child Labour”
  • First Prize and Golden Hat, 60th International Cartoon Festival Knokke-Heist ::: The City of Knokke-Heist (Cultuurcentrum Scharpoord), Knokke-Heist, Belgium, for “Family Ties”
  • Amnesty International Prize, The Olense Kartoenale (33rd edition) ::: The City of Olen in Collaboration with Amnesty International, Olen, Belgium, for “Broken Scales of Justice”
  • Fourth Prize, 9th International Cartoon Contest ::: VZW De Geus in Collaboration with the Municipality of Lebbeke, Lebbeke, Belgium, for “Overthrown”
  • Special Prize, 44th International Satyrykon Exhibition ::: Satyrykon Cultural and Social Foundation (Fundacja Satyrykon), Legnica, Poland, for “Cycles of Failed Awakening”
  • Diploma, 29th International Festival of Humor and Satire "Golden Helmet" (Zlatna Kaciga) ::: Cultural Center Kruševac (Kulturni centar Kruševac), Kruševac, Serbia, for “Kept in the Dark”
  • 2020Second Prize, 13th International Salon of Car Caricatures ::: Center for Culture and Information Maksimir (Centar za kulturu i informacije Maksimir), Zagreb, Croatia, for “The Paradox of Plenty”
  • Certificate of Merit, 13th edition of the annual Maya Kamath Memorial Awards for Excellence in Political Cartooning ::: Indian Institute of Cartoonists (IIC), Bengaluru, India, for “The Paradox of Plenty”
  • Third Prize, 25th International Cartoon Exhibition ::: The Croatian Cartoonist Association (Hrvatsko društvo karikaturista), Zagreb, Croatia, for “Intellectual Wealth, Material Poverty”
  • Special Award, 10th International Turhan Selçuk Cartoon Competition ::: The Milas Municipality (Milas Belediyesi), Milas, Türkiye, for “Pollute Me? Pollute You!”
  • Professor Atila Özer Recognition Award, 12th International Tourism Cartoon Competition ::: Anatolia Tourism Academy (Anatolia: Turizm Eğitimi ve Araştırmaları Dergisi) & Association of Tourism Writers and Journalists (TUYED), Istanbul, Türkiye, for “Scars of the Pandemic”
  • 2019Second Prize, 9th International Turhan Selçuk Cartoon Competition ::: The Milas Municipality (Milas Belediyesi), Milas, Türkiye, for “You Won't Confine Me”
  • Diploma of Honor, 29th International Festival of Cartoon and Humorous Literature ::: Town Hall of Gura Humorului & Bucovina Cultural Centre & Suceava County Council, Gura Humorului, Romania, for “Below Poverty”
  • 2018Certificate of Merit, 11th edition of the annual Maya Kamath Memorial Awards for Excellence in Political Cartooning ::: Indian Institute of Cartoonists (IIC), Bengaluru, India, for “Unrooting the Crowned Oppressor”
  • Special Award, 24th International Utopia Conference (Uluslararası Ütopya Konferansı) / Symposium ::: Karaburun Municipality (Karaburun Belediyesi), Karaburun, Türkiye, for “Throttled, Censored and Blocked”
  • 2017Special Honor Diploma & Personal Gallery, 11th International Cartoon Contest HumoDEVA (HumoDEVA International Salon of Cartoon) ::: ACCES Association & BestCARTOONS.net & CRISAN Publishing House, Deva, Romania, for “Guided by the Hands Above”
  • 2016Special Prize, Second International Cartoon Festival/Contest ::: KrAgiKozvak Cartoon Association (operating between Kragujevac, Serbia and Kosovo), Kragujevac, Serbia, for “Saw Something in Their Hands”
  • 2014Special Prize, 8th International Cartoon Contest, Urziceni, Romania
  • Municipality of Penela Special Prize, 4th Luís d’Oliveira Guimarães Humour Biennial, “Freedom”, Penela, Portugal
  • 2011Tomy Prize (online category), 17th International Biennial of Graphic Humour, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba
  • LIMES Prize, 2nd International Cartoon Competition “Dictatorship and Tolerance”, KURTUKUNST Gallery, Berlin, Germany
  • Special Prize, 18th Ricardo Rendón International Cartoon Festival (CartoonRendón), Rionegro, Colombia
  • Third Prize, 19th Golden Helmet International Cartoon Contest, Kruševac, Serbia
  • Special Prize, 3rd P.C. Roth International Cartoon Contest, India
  • 2010Third Prize, cartoon section, 17th International Visual Arts Festival for Youth, Gorgan, Iran
  • Special Prize, 10th Tabriz International Cartoon Festival, Iran
  • 2009Special Prize, 18th Diogen International Cartoon Contest, South Korea
  • Special Prize, 1st P.C. Roth International Cartoon Contest, India
  • 2008Bronze Prize, 7th Googlm International Cartoon Contest, Nanjing, China
  • Special Prize, 7th Tabriz International Cartoon Festival, Iran
  • 2005Special Prize, 3rd International Bursa Cemal Nadir Cartoon Competition, Bursa, Türkiye
  • —Several national awards in Iran