Joel Pett
Encyclopedia
Joel W. Pett is an American
Pulitzer Prize
-winning editorial cartoonist
for the Lexington Herald-Leader
.
, Indiana
. He moved to Ibadan, Nigeria with his family in 1959 before returning to America in 1964.
After college at Indiana University, he began doing freelance cartooning jobs for over nine years. In April 1984, he joined the Lexington Herald-Leader
as their staff cartoonist.
Pett's cartoons have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines nationwide, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times
, and the Boston Globe. He is a weekly contributor to USA Today
, writes a regular feature on cartoons for the Los Angeles Times
, and does a monthly cartoon for the educational journal Phi Delta Kappan.
Mr. Pett also received the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
for cartoons highlighting the plight of the disadvantaged, and the 1995 Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues. He is a past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, and a past Pulitzer juror. He has conducted three overseas seminars on editorial cartooning as a guest speaker of the U.S. State Department.
for Editorial Cartooning
in 1989 and 1998 before winning in 2000. Pett is also the winner of the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
for cartooning, and a 1995 winner of the Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
for the Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
.
Early life and career
Pett was born in BloomingtonBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. He moved to Ibadan, Nigeria with his family in 1959 before returning to America in 1964.
After college at Indiana University, he began doing freelance cartooning jobs for over nine years. In April 1984, he joined the Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
as their staff cartoonist.
Pett's cartoons have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines nationwide, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and the Boston Globe. He is a weekly contributor to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, writes a regular feature on cartoons for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and does a monthly cartoon for the educational journal Phi Delta Kappan.
Mr. Pett also received the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
for cartoons highlighting the plight of the disadvantaged, and the 1995 Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues. He is a past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, and a past Pulitzer juror. He has conducted three overseas seminars on editorial cartooning as a guest speaker of the U.S. State Department.
Awards
Pett was a finalist for the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Editorial Cartooning
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning has been awarded since 1922 for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect...
in 1989 and 1998 before winning in 2000. Pett is also the winner of the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
for cartooning, and a 1995 winner of the Global Media Award for cartoons on population issues.