On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (May 2026), the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, in partnership with the City of Geneva, paid tribute to the talent and courage of cartoonists working under difficult circumstances.
The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award 2026, honouring their exceptional contribution to human rights and freedom of expression, was presented at the Geneva Graduate Institute, in the presence of Joseph Stiglitz, 2001 Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and Professor at Columbia University.
More on the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award, see: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/f60cb3d4-c79a-43aa-9b5c-351c56c02ae1. It is awarded every two years by the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva. In alternating years, the Prize is presented by partner organisation Cartoonists Rights in the United States.
Chaired by Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, the international jury has chosen to share the 2026 Prize between two laureates: Safaa Odah (Palestine) and Jimmy “Spire” Ssentongo (Uganda).
The Laureates [film portraits made by True Heroes Films]
Safaa Odah is a Palestinian cartoonist living in Gaza. Before the escalation of the war in 2023, she produced drawings, comic strips and posters on women’s empowerment and for young audiences. Since October 2023, her drawings have depicted the terrible daily life of Gazans during the war. Her simple, almost naive line stands firm against the din of bombs. Safaa Odah’s favourite themes are universal – family love, grief, hunger and poverty, peace – and offer a poignant perspective on the occupation and displacement of Gaza’s population. Her drawings express what words fail to convey and bear witness to a horror that the world tolerates. She continues to draw cartoons under extremely difficult conditions, using whatever materials she can gather – for instance drawing on the plastic tarpaulin that serves as her family’s tent – and publishing them on social media.Amid extreme violence and utter destitution, the Palestinian artist has been documenting the harrowing situation of Gaza’s population for two and a half years. The family home was destroyed in a bombing two years ago, and Safaa Odah and her family now live in the Khan Younis camp.
Jimmy “Spire” Ssentongo is a Ugandan academic, columnist, portraitist, author and award-winning self-taught cartoonist. He has worked, among others, for the Ugandan newspaper The Observer since 2006. Holding a PhD in Philosophy, he served as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Uganda Martyrs University. Frequently harassed, Spire has been in the crosshairs of the authorities since the 2020 pandemic. In March 2024, he received death threats after launching an anti-corruption campaign on X – #UgandaParliamentExhibition – calling on parliament to be held accountable. Spire’s humour and critical analytical mind amplify the reach of his cartoons, which have become popular and viral. The Ugandan intellectual uses them to denounce corruption, institutional abuses and the excesses of power. A victim of cyberbullying, he long kept a low profile. In January 2026, he temporarily took refuge in Belgium to escape growing pressure ahead of the presidential election.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 