TEHRAN – In recent years, an unusual trend has emerged across social media. One such example is the systematic removal of Resistance Axis figures from various platforms.
Masoud Shojai Tabatabai, executive director of the first international comic and poster contest “Terror Online”, made the remarks at a press conference for the event held in Tehran on Saturday, ISNA reported.
The main purpose of this event is to invite Iranian and international artists to counter the censorship of their artistic works and present authentic visual stories of resistance culture.
“We chose the theme ‘Online Assassinations of Resistance Heroes’ for our poster section because, for a variety of reasons, our ability to present images and stories related to key figures in the Resistance Axis is becoming increasingly limited. We are dealing with a type of cyberterrorism that is growing every day, and a significant portion of global violence is taking place in the digital space rather than on the battlefield,” said Shojai Tabatabai.
“The removal or blocking of pages and content related to resistance leaders, such as martyrs General Qasem Soleimani, Seed Hassan Nasrallah, and Ismail Haniyeh, are examples of this trend. This is not just a technical error, but an attempt to erase narratives and censor the nation’s historical memory,” he added.
“Given these circumstances, we came to the conclusion that holding such an event could provide an opportunity for national and international artists to present their works related to cyber issues, digital censorship, and the true expression of the Axis of Resistance. In the cartoon section, we took into account the distinction between cartoons and caricatures and focused on the critical and narrative aspects of this art form,” the Director-General explained.
Shojai Tabtabai added that content regulations on the three major platforms, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, which ostensibly champion freedom of expression, have made it even more necessary to hold such events.
He noted the wide participation of artists, saying: “More than 426 artists submitted 1,835 works from 61 countries, a figure that places this event among the most prestigious international competitions.”
“270 artists participated from Asia alone, 85 from Europe and a significant number from Latin America. Artists from Africa and North America also participated. Iran had the most participation with 175 artists, followed by Indonesia and Turkey.”
Regarding the selection of jurors, he said, “Naturally, we invited jurors from countries with a high level of participation.In the Cartoons and Caricatures category, we invited an experienced juror from Turkey, which had a large number of participants.In view of the wide participation from Indonesia, we invited jurors who are the country’s leading experts in this field. With the meaningful participation of artists from Latin America, we also invited famous artists and graphic designers from the region to serve as jurors.The presence of jurors from three continents further enhances its international significance.” Credibility against competitors. ”
For the domestic jury, the jury consisted of Mr. Masoud Nejabati (chairman of the jury), Mr. Abbas Naseri, and Mr. Mohammad Hossein Niroumand.
“Prizes were one of the strengths of this competition. Five prizes of 500 euros were designated in each category, with 2,000 euros for first place and 1,500 euros for second place in both the cartoon and poster categories. A total of 14,000 euros in cash prizes were awarded to the selected works. This level of recognition has elevated the festival’s status among international events,” said Shojai Tabatabai.
He concluded by saying that the final ceremony of the event, which will be attended by an international jury and world celebrities, is scheduled for January 5, 2026 at the Arts Office in Tehran.
Also speaking at the event, head of the jury Masoud Nejabati said the competition’s aim was to discover on an international scale graphic designers aligned with resistance culture, a field that he pointed out had been neglected for a long time.
He emphasized that while Shojaei Tabatabai has been active in the field of cartoons and caricatures for many years and has built a worldwide network of artists, a similar network had not yet been formed in the field of graphic design.
“As a result, we found that at critical junctures when we wanted to organize global events, we had only limited contacts, mostly among designers from neighboring countries who collaborated with the Axis of Resistance,” he said.
“Originally, the event was planned to focus solely on comics, but at our request a graphic design (poster) section was added to allow us to discover new designers along the way. Many of the designers who participated this year were new to us, but these first steps are very impactful,” Nejabati said.
Regarding the judging policy: “The number and quality of entries exceeded our expectations. However, we took a rigorous approach and no works created using artificial intelligence were allowed to enter the competition. Our aim was to fill the exhibition with a large number of works. Instead, we selected works that had an outstanding impact. Only 56 of the 535 entries passed the first stage. These were re-evaluated and a limited standard number were selected for exhibition and final judging.”
“Several important criteria guided the selection process, including clarity of message, creativity, ideas, composition and technique. What was important to us was that the viewer should receive the work’s message without ambiguity,” said the president of the jury.
Nejabati added that most of the reputed international festivals are held regularly and encourage the participation of established designers and big brands. “Although this is the first time, I believe that the results are acceptable, especially considering the level of international participation. If this event could continue year after year with a fixed theme or a consistent and clear theme, the number of participants and the quality of the works would improve significantly.”
SS/