Ethics Cartooning Competition

Ethics Cartooning Competition

Do you talk with colleagues about the social impacts of your research? Do you wonder how society should balance people’s privacy interests against the advancement of science? Do you wonder whether the data you saw in that last paper are just too good to be true?

Here is a chance for you to put your musings on paper, and to entertain other people while educating them about research ethics.

Timeline

  • Registration Closes: Nov. 4, 2022
  • Cartoon Submission Deadline: Dec. 5, 2022
  • Public Voting: February 17 – March 10
  • Winner Notified by: March 20, 2023

Who is eligible to participate?

Persons who work on biomedical research, including graduate students, professional students, postdoctoral fellows, laboratory technicians, assistant/associate scientists, and other individuals with a comparable job title at the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW), the UW Hospitals and Clinics, or other UW-affiliated biomedical research center or institute.

See the competition rules for details >

Questions/Comments?

If you have any questions, please email ethics@morgridge.org or call 608-316-4400.

Theme

Any ethical issue arising in or from biomedical research! The theme includes social impacts of scientific research, but does not include purely medical ethics. For instance, we would not include a cartoon about organ transplants if it did not incorporate any consideration of research ethics. Some examples of research ethics topics include:

  • issues raised by research on biotechnology for human enhancement, including the potential social impacts of developing such biotechnologies;
  • legitimate and illegitimate manipulation of research images for publication or presentation;
  • arguments for and against returning individual research results to human research participants;
  • problems and opportunities in sharing research data;
  • arguments concerning uses of animals in research;
  • fraud in science.

This is not an exhaustive list! For better or worse, the topics are endless. Make a cartoon about any research ethics issue that is of interest to you.

Art format

Your cartoon should be a sketch, drawing, painting, or computer graphic. Your cartoon may contain one to six panel(s) and must be submitted as a digital image. Animation or video is not accepted. You may submit a sole-authored cartoon, or create a cartoon with a partner.

Prizes

1st Prize – $3500

2nd Prize – $1000

3rd Prize – $500

Learn more about prizes >

IP and Ownership

You will retain ownership of the copyright in the cartoon you create. However, to enter and be considered in the competition you must sign a license for the Morgridge Institute for Research to use the cartoon as further detailed in the Entry Form. For example, we might want to display your cartoon on a website, use it for teaching purposes, use it in promotional materials, or use it while giving professional presentations. If we use your cartoon, you will not be financially compensated but you will always be credited as its creator.