9th International Caricature Festival in Africa – FICA 2026

The International Caricature Festival in Africa has announced the 9th edition of the International Cartoon and Caricature Competition – FICA 2026, inviting artists from around the world to participate in two categories.

The festival will take place in Agadir, Morocco, and will bring together international cartoonists through works focusing on peace, coexistence and the art of caricature.

Cartoon Section: A World Without War

The theme of the cartoon section is:

A World Without War

Through satire and humor, artists are invited to imagine a world in which peace replaces weapons, dialogue replaces violence and coexistence becomes a shared homeland.

The theme highlights ideas such as peaceful coexistence, fraternity without borders, understanding between peoples, collective harmony and peace through dialogue.

Participation Rules

    Each participant may submit up to two cartoons.

    Submitted works must not have been previously published, exhibited or awarded in Morocco or abroad.

    Format: A4

    Resolution: 300 dpi

    File format: JPG or JPEG

    Technique: Free

The submission email must include the participant’s full name, country, complete postal address and WhatsApp number.

Works that do not comply with the regulations will not be considered by the jury.

Caricature Section: Abdellah Derkaoui

The caricature section is dedicated to a satirical portrait of Moroccan cartoonist Abdellah Derkaoui.

Each participant may submit only one caricature in this category.

Born in 1970 in Machraa Bel Ksiri, northern Morocco, Abdellah Derkaoui began his professional career in 1992. His first cartoons were published in the daily newspaper Maghreb Al Yaoum, followed by Anoual. He currently works for the newspaper Assahra Al Maghribia.

Derkaoui’s artistic style combines simplicity, sarcasm and surrealism. He considers cartooning an independent art form capable of communicating ideas directly while offering a critical perspective on society.

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including the Naji Al Ali Competition Prize in London in 2005, First Prize at I-Expo in Paris in 2005, the National Press Club of Canada Award of Excellence in 2012 and the Moroccan Children’s and Youth Book Prize in 2020.

In addition to his work as a cartoonist, Derkaoui is also a children’s book illustrator. He has contributed illustrations to Al-Arabi Al-Saghir and illustrated the first Moroccan dictionary for children.

He serves as Vice-President of the Moroccan Association of Caricature and regularly participates in the Salon de l’Humour de Saint-Just-le-Martel in France.

Awards

The following awards will be presented in both sections:

    First Prize: Duck Prize

    Second Prize: Africa Prize

    Third Prize: Pencil Stroke Prize

    Three Special Awards

    Five Honourable Mentions

Award-winning and selected works will be included in the official FICA 2026 exhibition in Agadir, Morocco.

The submitted works may also be used by the festival for non-commercial promotional purposes, including websites, newspapers, posters, catalogues, invitation cards and printed materials.

Submission

Cartoons and caricatures should be sent by email to:

fica2026festival@gmail.com

Deadline: October 7, 2026

Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of the regulations and the final decisions of the jury.

Source Note

At the time of publication, the official website of the festival organisation, FICA – Festival International de la Caricature en Afrique, had not yet published the official page for the 2026 competition.

This article is based on the FICA 2026 competition announcement published by Egypt Cartoon Home on July 15, 2026.