42nd International Golden Apple Satirical Graphic Competition 2026 Bistrita- Romania

The organizer of this year's edition of the festival is the Bistrita Trade Unions Cultural Center, in cooperation with the Bistrita Municipality (Local Council), Bistrita Cultural Palace, and the Romanian Trade Unions Cultural Center. The event is organized with the support of the National Union of Houses, the Romanian Association of Epigram Writers, the Bistrita Fruit Research Station, and the Bistrita-Năsăud County Women's Union.

The International Satire and Humor Festival “Golden Apple” will take place on April 3-4, 2026.

The International Satire Graphic Competition “Golden Apple”, Bistrita, 2026 – 42nd edition, is open to cartoonists from all over the world.

Competition Sections

The competition is divided into two main sections:

1) National Section

• Competition section for adults and students up to 18 years of age.

Categories:

A. Humorous Drawing on the theme of “War and/or Peace”.

B. Portrait on the theme of “Costantin BRÂNCUŞI – 150”.

2) International Section

Categories:

A. Humorous Drawing on the theme of “War and/or Peace”.

B. Portrait on the theme “Constantin BRÂNCUŞI – 150 YEARS”.

Participants may submit a maximum of three (3) works for each theme.

All submissions must be accompanied by a CV in Romanian or English containing the following information: Full name, address, contact telephone number, e-mail address, country of origin, photocopy of identity card or passport, and IBAN bank account.

Works should be sent in JPG format (300 dpi) to the following e-mail address: ccsbistrita@yahoo.com

Telephone/Fax: +40 263 233 345; +40 745 970 250

The deadline for submissions is March 4, 2026 (postmark date).

The winning works will be included in the "Golden Apple" - 2026 Satirical Graphics Exhibition. All submitted works will be judged by leading figures in the field. The entries will be judged by an international jury composed of prominent figures.

Notes:

- Entries submitted after March 4, 2026 will not be accepted into the competition.

- The prizes awarded in the three competition categories consist of cash prizes, diplomas, and trophies.

- The jury has the exclusive authority to allocate, rank, redistribute, and award prizes.

- Submitted works will not be returned and will remain in the Festival archives.

- The organizing committee reserves the right to publish or display participants' works in the Festival Catalog, on the website, or in other relevant promotional materials without obtaining further permission from the participants.

- Works or texts containing obscene content will not be accepted.

- Following the jury's evaluation, the winners of the Satirical Graphics Competition will be notified in time to attend the Award Ceremony and the "GOLDEN APPLE – 2026" Award Winners Gala.

- The Golden Apple Festival only encourages original creativity.

Works created entirely by artificial intelligence will be disqualified from the competition.

All information regarding the Festival... Correspondence should be sent to:

HOUSE OF CULTURE OF TRADE UNIONS BISTRIȚA

3 Alexandru Odobescu Street,

420043 Bistrita,

ROMANIA

For further information:

Telephone/Fax: +40 263 233 345; +40 745 970 250

Email: ccsbistrita@yahoo.com