Reuben Awards: The National Cartoonist Society 2008

I have just been informed that PREPARE TO BOARD! has been nominated in the Book Illustration category in the National Cartoonist Society's REUBEN awards.

The NCS is America's oldest cartoonists' organization. The Reuben is named after founder Rube Goldberg --who is famous for creating the Rube Goldberg Machine, Rube, ironically enough, was unable to win his own award for the machines, or for any of his comics. He won, instead, for a brilliant political cartoon that can be seen here (scroll down to "Peace Today")

I was particularly chuffed at being nominated in the same group as the wonderful illustrator Sandra Boynton.

Here are the category nominees:

http://www.reuben.org/ncs/news2.asp

and here are pictures of last year's Reubens, including one of the grand statue itself (designed by Rube Goldberg)

http://cagle.msnbc.com/hogan/reubens/reubens2007/main.asp

Al Jaffee of MAD magazine is one of the three finalists for the grand award, the REUBEN itself.

As luck would have it, the New Orleans party falls on the same weekend I am moving to Canada, so unfortunately I won't be able to attend. It's an honor to be nominated, though.

Update: Lynn Johnston has graciously agreed to make the acceptance speech in the event that PREPARE TO BOARD! wins. I asked her just to thank everyone.