Cartoonists usually submit a batch of cartoons weekly to The New Yorker. How does a cartoon submitted to The New Yorker become a cartoon in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest?
Most (nearly all the time) TNY asks the cartoonist if they would like to sell it for the Contest.
That means TNY either didn't like the cartoonist's caption or they've identified the cartoon as a good choice for the Contest. Rarely, if ever, does a cartoonist submit their batch of cartoons and request one
specifically for the Contest.
Do cartoonists like having their cartoon in the Contest? The Contest payment is the same as a "regular" cartoon in the magazine, but there is an obvious difference.
Their caption was rejected and then TNYCCC winner's caption is put on the cartoon. Later the cartoon can show up in numerous places and there is no indication that the caption
is not the cartoonist's caption. So, do cartoonists like having their cartoon in the Contest? The answer seems pretty obvious. But, you may not get that insinuation from the cartoonist; for obvious reasons.
The chart shows the majority of TNYCCC cartoonists have between two and nine cartoons in the Contest. Recent trends have more new cartoonists featured in the magazine.
Hover over the columns to view the number of cartoonists for each cartoon range.
Cartoonist Contest Count Distribution
The table shows a commanding lead by P.C. Vey. The next three cartoonists have a sizeable lead over the fifth place cartoonist. The first and last cartoon
in the Contest is also displayed for each cartoonist.
Use the pagination controls, column sorting, and search box to navigate results.
Cartoonist Counts (Current through Contest #994)
| Cartoonist |
Cartoon
Count |
Latest
Contest |
First
Contest |
Behind the Menu: The Leaderboard Quantization Methodology
The Leaderboards index serves as a statistical archive designed to track, aggregate, and rank performance metrics across historical cartoon captioning cycles. While comedic evaluation is widely considered a qualitative and highly subjective discipline, this portal applies a rigorous data-driven framework to isolate consistency, longevity, and elite placement trends within the cartooning community. By converting scattered historical contest placements into structured, filterable leaderboards, the system establishes an empirical baseline for analyzing what types of comedic authorship reliably resonate with voting audiences and editorial panels over time.
The data layers are processed through relational database structures that capture multiple distinct vectors of contest success. Rather than tracking isolated wins, the scoring matrix emphasizes cumulative performance to highlight individuals who have mastered the structural mechanics of sequential humor.
Scoring Parameters & Data Normalization
To maintain analytical integrity across shifting historical datasets, the ranking tracking framework distinguishes between different tiers of placement achievement.
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Placement Stratification: The records differentiate between primary historical benchmarks—specifically isolating first-place victories, runner-up finishes, and third-place finalist milestones. By cataloging these distinctions systematically, the system allows researchers to look past random anomalies and map true statistical consistency.
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Dynamic Table Operations: The front-end interface utilizes an optimized script framework to handle heavy data filtration smoothly on the client side. Users can dynamically sort rows by frequency, search for specific creator profiles, and isolate records via pagination controls without triggering intensive server queries, ensuring rapid data manipulation.
The Philosophy of Quantifying Comedy
Why apply statistical analytics to a creative pursuit? In the realm of single-panel cartooning, a winning caption requires an exact intersection of brevity, syntax, and spatial awareness. By measuring who consistently achieves these milestones, these leaderboards reveal the underlying craftsmanship behind the humor. It proves that sustained success in caption writing isn't merely a byproduct of luck, but a repeatable skill set governed by structural patterns that can be tracked, measured, and archived for the entire community to study.
Plus, because humor is so subjective, it's nice to deal with 1 + 1 = 2.