The award ceremony of the 23rd edition of the Novomestský Osteň Biennial of Cartoon Humor and Satire 2025 will take place on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. at the Gallery of Cartoon Humor in Nové Mesto nad Váhom.
A total of 178 artists from 44 countries entered the competition, submitting 441 drawings. The jury selected 104 authors with 136 works from 31 countries for the exhibition. Three main prizes will be awarded – the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Osteň – along with ten honorable mentions.
Theme: Awakening Curiosity
Before the ceremony and during the event, the Pilsner Jazz Band from Plzeň will perform, with concerts at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m..
The exhibition is curated by Peter Rázus (Brain Sneeze Gallery, Prešov).
We cordially invite you to this event – a celebration of humor, art, and international cooperation.
About the Event
Cartoon humor, satire, and caricature as distinctive artistic genres hold an important place in the cultural life of Nové Mesto nad Váhom. The symbol of the project is a thorn with eyes observing the world around it, pricking at society’s flaws.
The Novomestský Osteň Biennial of Cartoon Humor and Satire was founded in 1982 in Nové Mesto nad Váhom. It was established by prominent local cartoonists (Vladimír Pavlík, later Miro Ďurža) together with Viktor Kubal, the doyen of Slovak cartoon art. It was the first competitive showcase of cartoon humor in Czechoslovakia.
Beginning with the 3rd edition in 1985, the festival became a biennial. Over time, it gained a strong reputation, attracting leading cartoon artists from across Czechoslovakia. During this period, its archive grew into the richest collection of Slovak cartoon art, comprising nearly 2,000 drawings and paintings.
In 2013, the organizers set out to elevate the traditional event to an international level. In 2019, Novomestský Osteň celebrated its 20th anniversary, marked by the opening of the only Gallery of Cartoon Humor in Slovakia on September 13, 2019, in Nové Mesto nad Váhom.
In 2021, with the theme “Radio and Television”, the biennial responded to the 65th anniversary of Slovak Television and the 95th anniversary of Slovak Radio, and initiated cooperation with its partner in Prešov, Brain Sneeze (led by dedicated organizer of cartoon humor, Peter Rázus).
In 2023, the 22nd edition carried the theme “Fish on a Plate”, paying tribute to Nové Mesto native Július Boško, the inventor of the recipe for Slovakia’s iconic fish salad “treska.” Seventy years after he was forced to move with his family to Bratislava in 1953, the biennial symbolically “brought him back” to his hometown.
The theme of this year’s edition – “Awakening Curiosity” – is inspired by the vision of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026, which believes that culture has the power to awaken people’s interest in the world, in others, and in the future. Novomestský Osteň 2025 has thus become part of the program offering of Trenčín 2026 in the field of regional cooperation.
