Cartoon (Pencil) Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

An individual on-the-spot item in which the entrant draws a cartoon in pencil alone, within a 30-minute sitting, judged on idea, line and humour.

A cartoon is a drawing that makes a point quickly: a funny, exaggerated or pointed picture that a viewer understands at a glance. Cartoon (Pencil) asks for exactly that, drawn in pencil only. There is no ink, felt pen or colour to hide behind, so the idea and the line have to do all the work.

On the template that carries it, this is an individual, off-stage item open to boys and girls together, run in two age bands (10 to 18 and 19 to 35). Each entrant gets a 30-minute sitting and is marked out of 100. The template prints no theme list, no paper size and no scoring criteria for it, so the organiser should announce the subject (or confirm that it is free choice) and the paper before the day.

A round runs like any other on-the-spot drawing item. Entrants settle at their places, receive paper and the theme if there is one, draw for the full 30 minutes, and hand in the sheet for judging. Strong entries usually start with a quick rough layout: one central character or situation, a clear caption or visual gag, and a simple background that supports rather than competes.

Organisers include a pencil cartoon item because it is cheap to stage (paper and pencils only), it suits an age range from teenagers to young adults, and it rewards a different skill from a realistic Pencil Drawing: observation and wit rather than shading and likeness.

Where Cartoon (Pencil) is run

Cartoon (Pencil) appears on one eTalenter template, a church youth arts festival built for ages 10 to 35, where it sits beside Pencil Drawing and Painting in the art section. Plain Cartoon, a separate item with no medium named, is run on several Kerala school and Sunday school templates and has its own page. This page records only what the template shows.

• India (a church youth arts festival with a two-band age split, 10 to 18 and 19 to 35)

Key facts

• Individual entry: each entrant is marked alone
• Open to both genders together
• Two age bands on the template: 10 to 18 and 19 to 35
• 30-minute sitting, with no warning bell printed
• Marked out of 100; the template prints no criteria, so confirm them with the organiser
• Pencil only: ink, felt pen and colour are not part of the item’s name, so ask before using them

On eTalenter, Cartoon (Pencil) is filed under Art and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Cartoon (Pencil) is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 30 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Cartoon (Pencil)

What a Cartoon (Pencil) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Idea and humour: a clear point or joke that a viewer reads within seconds, rather than a pretty picture with no message
• Exaggeration and character: faces, proportions and poses pushed far enough to be funny or telling, yet still recognisable
• Line quality: confident, deliberate pencil lines and controlled tone, instead of scratchy, repeated outlines
• Composition: one clear focus with a background that supports it, and the sheet used well from edge to edge
• Relevance and caption: the drawing fits the announced theme, and any caption or speech bubble is short and legible
• Neatness and finish inside 30 minutes. These are common panel points; the template prints no criteria of its own

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Cartoon (Pencil) under Scoring Setup, or start from the full painting & drawing judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Cartoon (Pencil)

How entrants and their teachers usually get Cartoon (Pencil) right on the day:

• Practise a small set of faces and body shapes in pencil until you can draw an exaggerated character in under two minutes
• Learn to think in jokes: for any theme, list three quick ideas in two minutes, then pick the clearest one
• Spend the first three to four minutes on a light rough layout so the main figure is placed before you commit to dark lines
• Practise with a stopwatch at the full 30 minutes, leaving the last five for cleaning up and checking the caption
• Use pencil grades on purpose: a softer pencil for bold outlines and shading, a harder one for light guide lines
• Keep any caption short and in block letters, and test whether the picture still works if the caption is covered
• After a loss, ask to see the winning sheets and compare idea, not just line: most marks are won by the clearer joke

Frequently asked questions

Is Cartoon (Pencil) judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is Cartoon (Pencil) the same as Cartoon?

They are close but listed separately. Cartoon is run on several other templates with no medium stated, while Cartoon (Pencil) on this template names pencil as the medium. Check your own organiser’s rules for which tools are allowed.

Is it the same as Pencil Drawing?

No. Pencil Drawing is usually judged on realism, shading and composition. A cartoon is judged first on its idea and humour, with exaggeration and a clear message mattering more than a lifelike likeness.

Can I add colour or ink?

The item is named for pencil, so assume graphite pencil only unless your organiser says otherwise. Confirm before the day, because adding colour to a pencil-only item can cost marks.

How long do I get?

The template prints 30 minutes for each age band, with no warning bell. Entrants should plan their time so the drawing is finished and checked before the call.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full painting & drawing judging criteria guide, or browse every art competition item.