In a year where the news cycle often bordered on the surreal, political cartoonists faced the unique challenge of capturing its absurdity and brutality. The Guardian has compiled its list of the 12 most powerful editorial cartoons of 2025, featuring selections from award-winning cartoonist Ben Jennings and the paper's own editorial team.
A Surreal Year Presents a Double-Edged Sword
Speaking to The Guardian, Ben Jennings described 2025 as a year of endless material, yet one that was often difficult to navigate. The return of Donald Trump to the White House for a second term provided rich fodder for satire, though Jennings noted the presidency's inherent farce sometimes made it a challenge to caricature effectively. He described Trump's existence as "in and of itself a satire of America and the turbulent times of late-stage capitalism."
Other major themes cartoonists grappled with included the ongoing violence in Gaza, the entrenched war in Ukraine, the rising threat of AI to human creativity, and the resurgence of far-right politics across Europe and the United States. The spectacle of Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding in Venice, against a backdrop of growing wealth inequality, also drew sharp satirical commentary.
The Cartoons That Defined the Year
The curated list of twelve cartoons begins with a January illustration by veteran cartoonist Martin Rowson. His work encapsulated a decade of challenges to free speech, referencing events from the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack to Jeff Bezos's acquisition of The Washington Post.
Jennings contributed seven personal favourites to the selection. These included his take on Elon Musk's troubled 'bromance' with Donald Trump and the Tesla founder's drift to the extreme right. Another cartoon addressed the exhausting nature of the Trump news cycle, where one unprecedented scandal rapidly supersedes the next.
For the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Jennings created a piece he felt best captured the year's political mood. It juxtaposed the remembrance of past wars with contemporary escalating conflicts, questioning whether humanity ever learns from history.
Satirising Conflict, Wealth, and Technology
Among the harder subjects to approach was the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Jennings noted the difficulty in finding new ways to visualise the recurring horrors of the conflict. His cartoon on the topic was included in the powerful dozen.
The list also features work from other acclaimed illustrators. Ella Baron contributed a poignant cartoon marking the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while Madeline Horwath offered a perspective on life under new AI overlords. Pete Songi illustrated the UK's recognition of Palestine as an independent state under the Labour government.
Closer to home, Jennings satirised Keir Starmer's anxieties over Nigel Farage and the Labour party's rocky first year in government. The final cartoon of the year, also by Jennings, commented on Australia's controversial social media ban for under-16s.
The Enduring Power of Political Satire
Jennings reflected on the unenviable yet crucial role of the political cartoonist: to prioritise the most outstanding moment of each day and choose how to portray its absurdity and resonance. This tradition, he noted, stretches back to 18th-century caricaturists like James Gillray and remains vitally important today.
Looking ahead, Jennings is compiling a book of his cartoons from the past decade, covering momentous events from the pandemic to Brexit. As for what 2026 will bring to his drawing board, he concluded, "We'll have to see what happens!" The selection stands as a testament to how satire continues to make sense of a complex and often disorienting world.
