More than 300 cartoonists from 57 countries have entered the 21st edition of the Braila International Cartoon Salon, the Braila County Centre for the Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture (CJCPCT) informs on Tuesday.

The competition is open to both amateur and professional cartoonists, with this year's theme being 'International Personalities.'

According to the organisers, the Braila International Cartoon Salon has become one of Romania's leading events dedicated to satirical drawing, bringing together artists from around the world each year while promoting artistic dialogue between tradition and innovation.

'The event has become an important tradition in Braila and attracts participants from every corner of the world each year. Some are emerging artists, while others, through their many participations, have become well-known figures in the world of satirical drawing. All of them are friends of the event, who have consistently recognised the role of this art form and expressed their vision of the reality in which we live - a constant source of inspiration - through works that continue to gain appreciation and admiration.

The International Cartoon Salon is one of the most important artistic events dedicated to caricature in Romania and abroad. It reflects the continuity of satirical drawing in the contemporary world, balancing tradition and innovation while encouraging artists to interpret the chosen theme through their own creative perspective, with particular attention paid to colour, form and symbolism,' CJCPCT Braila told AGERPRES.

This year's competition has attracted 306 cartoonists from 57 countries, who have submitted a total of 882 works.

Participants come from Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

Under the competition rules, each participant was allowed to submit up to three works in any technique, in A3 digital format.

This year's prizes include a Grand Prize of 1,000 euros, a First Prize of 700 euros, a Second Prize of 500 euros, a Third Prize of 400 euros, and three Special Prizes worth 200 euros each. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Ecaterina Ignat; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)