We want to make sure that America's Next Great Cartoonist provides a fair and equitable forum for aspiring cartoonists to submit their work, and that we are able to feature for our readers the best showcase of new talent possible.  We have therefore updated our rules and these FAQ as of May 13 in response to feedback from the public, and especially from the cartoonist community.  We are now offering $1,000 to the winner (in addition to the previously announced prizes), and we are expressly limiting our license in the cartoons submitted to us to eliminate any doubt that contestants are able to pursue other opportunities.  More details are below.

When I submit my cartoon to America's Next Great Cartoonist contest, do I forfeit rights to my work?

 No. We understand the amount of time and work that you have put into your entry submission, and we will therefore only use the cartoons you submit in your entry in limited ways for a limited period of time.  Moreover, we do not have any rights with respect to the concept or characters portrayed in those cartoons - you retain those rights.

While the contest is ongoing and shortly thereafter, we will have a limited license to use your submitted materials on washingtonpost.com, in our print products (e.g., The Washington Post and Express), in our mobile products, and in promotional materials related to the contest (for example, in a gallery of submitted entries on washingtonpost.com or our mobile website).  We will not use your entry cartoons in any other way without your advance permission.  Thirty (30) days after the contest ends, our license to the cartoons expires (except with respect to material we've already published, which will remain on washingtonpost.com or its mobile website in perpetuity). See Section 2 of the Complete Rules for more information on how your entry materials may be used.

What happens if I become a finalist ("Challenge Participant") or winner of this contest?

If you are selected by our judges as one of our ten (10) Challenge Participants, your entry cartoons will be posted, and members of the public will vote on their five favorite entrants, who will move on to our Challenge Round.  We will ask you to submit additional materials - including some additional cartoons - during the Challenge Round, and the public will pick the winner based on those materials.

To preserve the integrity of the contest, we are asking all Challenge Participants to grant us a license in the cartoons they submit to us that is exclusive until thirty (30) days after the contest ends.  Until that license expires, you will not be permitted to disseminate any of your entry materials to any third parties (although we do not intend to impose any restrictions on how you may use or distribute any other cartoons you have drawn).  Our exclusivity ends thirty days after the contest ends, so you are free then to reuse or redistribute the materials you have submitted to us at your discretion.  As with all other entrants, we do not have any rights with respect to the concept or characters portrayed in those cartoons, and we will not use your submitted cartoons in any way not set forth in the rules without your advance permission.  See Sections 3 through 5 of the rules for more details on the Challenge Rounds.

 If I become a Challenge Participant or winner of this contest, what's in it for me?

If you are a Challenge Participant, your work will be exposed to a national audience, with the possibility of syndication through The Washington Post Writers Group and potential television and radio promotion. In addition, you will receive valuable feedback from some of the industry's leading cartoonists and the opportunity for your work to be viewed by syndicate editors and publishing professionals.

 If you win, you will receive $1,000 and get an opportunity to have your comic strip published daily for one month in the Style section of The Washington Post and in the Comic Riffs blog on washingtonpost.com. The winner will also receive a one-on-one consultation with a judge, and potentially be asked to participate in an online discussion and interviews. See Section 6 of the rules for more information on the prize.