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royaards

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Editorial cartoonist for Dutch newspaper Trouw and international media. Also run Cartoon Movement. Cartoons in English and Dutch.

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The challenges of healthy living. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Beware of false nostalgia.

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If 2026 were a shopping mall, it would probably look like this. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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The EU and Norway's rhetoric of "open access" to pathogen data masks a system of biopiracy that preys on the Global South's resources.

Behind closed doors, intellectual property monopolies are built on shared pathogen resources to generate profits for their Big Pharma corporations.

Cartoon commissioned by Feminists for a People's Vaccine.

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Some of my favorite international political cartoons from @cartoonmovement this week, by Matthew Fuller, Deb Milbrath, Gatis Sluka and Franco Juri.

More cartoons: https://www.cartoonmovement.com/

Cartoon by Matthew Fuller.
Cartoon by Gatis Sluka.
Cartoon by Franco Juri.

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Winter Olympics of the future. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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European solidarity.

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Amazon. Cartoon from 2024.

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Epstein files. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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Published today on the front page of Le Monde!

https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/02/04/vu-par-tjeerd-royaards_6665324_3232.html

Cartoon showing a street in the rain. A man on a bike is delivering food, while another courier is delivering packages from Amazon. Two other workers are collecting garbage. Inside one of the houses on the street, we see robots labeled 'AI' sitting dry and warm, engaged in making a paining, playing the violin and writing.

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Rat race. Cartoon I made for Dutch newspaper Trouw a while back, published today in Belgian newspaper De Morgen: https://www.demorgen.be/puzzels-cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~b6a46595/

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The robot apocalypse hasn't happened yet, but still I can't escape the feeling that something has gone horribly wrong... Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

More of my work for Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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European autonomy. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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A brief history of humanity. Cartoon from 2024.

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ICE shoots another domestic terrorist. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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The immediate Greenland crisis seems averted, but which button will Lil' Dictator push next?

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Wheel of misfortune. Cartoon for Belgian newspaper De Morgen: https://www.demorgen.be/puzzels-cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~b6a46595/

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Welcome to the VladXiDonocracy. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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America's engine. Cartoon from one year ago.

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RIP human(-made) creativity? Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

Note: this cartoon was made without any use of AI.

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Protests in Iran. Cartoon from 2022 (let's hope something really changes this time around). Originally published in Dutch newspaper Trouw, also published this week in French magazine Courrier International

Page from Courrier International.

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It probably should also include Xi Jinping, but this cartoon from last year seems very relevant again.

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Where to next? Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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My cartoon ‘Playground’ was selected as Cartoon of the Year by the staff from toonpool.com✨

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I’ll give this a repost. Cartoon from last month.

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Getting into the Christmas spirit. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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It’s that time of the year again! Here is my personal top 10 of international cartoons (I’ll post a Dutch top 10 soon) I did in 2025, selected from the roughly 150 I did in total.

Thanks for all your support, hope you’ll continue to enjoy my work next year as well. If you’d like to get my cartoons directly by email, you can subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.tjeerdroyaards.com/

1 of 3.

Cartoon showing a street corner. We are looking through the window of Rainbow elementary school , where children are taught about sharing. Outside, people are casually walking past homeless people sitting on the street, looking at their smartphones. A big SUV drives through a puddle with its rear wheel, the water splashing over a homeless person. A billboard shows a large finger pointing at departing migrants, with the text 'F#ck off! Vote selfishly'.
Cartoon showing a dystopian cityscape. In the background we see tall shining skyscrapers with the logos of Meta and X, the name TRUMP and the letters AI; in the foreground we see a run-down neighborhood with houses and stores with broken windows and doors that are boarded up. One store has the word 'FACTS' on its awning, and a sign on the window that says 'out of business'. Across the street is a broken sign that reads 'Diversity & inclusion'. At the back of the street is a broken sign that says 'TRUTH'.
Cartoon showing a large billboard. A worker is putting up a new poster, showing EU soldiers, tanks and nuclear missiles, accompanied by the text: 'Prepare for War'. Behind the new poster, we can still see the one that was there before, which has a wind turbine and the text 'Towards a sustainable future'. Below the billboard is a truck marked 'EU campaigns' with more posters in it. People in the street are going about their daily lives and looking up at the new poster.

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How to be a modern autocrat. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Trying to stay sane in today’s world. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Non-stop shit show. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Business is booming. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Wow! I am one of the 3 finalists for the European Cartoon Award 2025! The winner will be announced on December 12 in The Hague during Cartoons Day (it's a free event, you can get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tickets-eca-25-cartoons-day-award-ceremony-1399790915309?aff=oddtdtcreator

Congrats to fellow finalists Zehra Ömeroğlu and Emad Hajjaj!

Cartoon showing scales. The heavier scale has just one woman in it, while the lighter scale has a group of man. The caption reads 'Mazan rape trial'.
Cartoon showing a mountain of wrecked negotiation tables, with a new negotiation table placed on top.

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Trump versus Venezuela. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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The last area on earth without plastic pollution. Cartoon from 2024.

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Tomorrow is Black Friday. Here's the cartoon I did last year. I'll share a new one tomorrow (with a similar point, but a new visual :)

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Distracted. Cartoon for Trouw.

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Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Cartoon for Trouw.

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Sustainable capitalism. Cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Another super-hurricane is about to hit the Philippines. I've been doing one hurricane cartoon almost every year and the point of all of them is basically the same. These are from 2024, 2022, 2020 and 2019.

Cartoon showing two giant skeletal hands emerging from the sky, holding a circular saw, with the blade shaped like a hurricane.
Cartoon showing a giant hair dryer labeled 'Climate change' blowing towards the earth with such force that the planet loses its skin, revealing a skull underneath.
Cartoon showing the Grim Reaper wearing a sash that reads 'Climate change' hurling frisbees shaped like hurricanes towards planet earth.

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Proud and happy to be among the 15 nominees shortlisted for this year's European Cartoon Award!

If you have an affinity with political cartoons (and you're in the area), come to Cartoons Day in The Hague on 12 December. There will be workshops, panels & more + you get to hang out with cartoonists. And it's free: https://europeancartoonaward.com/2025/10/02/the-eca-cartoons-day-2025/

Poster showing the 15 nominees of the European Cartoon Award 2025.

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A visual summary of inequality. Cartoon from last year.

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Kies voor non-fictie in het stemhokje vandaag. Cartoon uit 2024.

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Greenwashing. Cartoon from 2023.

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Elections in the Netherlands next week, and the extreme-right populist party will likely be the biggest (again)... Cartoon from last year.

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Prioriteiten. Cartoon voor Trouw: https://www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tjeerd-royaards~bcb45712/

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Populist voting machine. English version of my Friday cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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Just work hard. English version of today's cartoon for Dutch newspaper Trouw.

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