Clay Jones receives Ink Bottle Award from AAEC (which becomes APA)

DD has the full story, relatively speaking...

AAEC 2026 Convention Awards and a Coming Change (or Two)

 D. D. Degg 

 September 20, 2026  https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/09/20/aaec-2026-convention-awards-and-a-coming-change-or-two/

So, now they'll be the  Association of Political Artists and merge with the Society of Illustrators? 

Anyway, it's Clay who's relevant to this blog, and he wrote on his Substack,

"It was while I was taking this photo that I heard my name. Why did I hear my name? Why did President Marc Murphy just say it? Because apparently, I was the recipient of this year's Ink Bottle Award.

This honor is awarded to a cartoonist for dedicated service to the association and distinguished effort to promote the art of editorial cartoon, as it says on the plaque. But why did I get it? I didn't do nothin’.

After we had judged the Babin Award a couple of months ago, I thought to myself that I didn't hear anything about the Ink Bottle Award for this year. I thought maybe I had just missed it, or maybe we decided to stop doing it. But there was a lot of convention business to handle this year, so I figured I had just missed it or maybe we weren't doing it anymore. But I did think of some cartoonists whom I thought would be worthy of it this year, and trust me, I didn't think I was one of them. I never entertained the thought that I would receive this. Why would I?"

Congratulations, Clay.