Roughly 800 cartoonists submitted work to the contest.

The Cartoonthai Institute organised the contest, asking participants to submit a work under the theme "pursuing peace peacefully". The entries were categorised by age, grouping primary school students, high-school students and college students.

The organisers were surprised to discover that many of the entries associated the word "peace" with the troubles in the South, said Sudjai Bhromkoed, manager of the Cartoonthai Institute.

The panel of judges included famous cartoonists, led by Chai Ratchawatr, and the committee of the campaign to commemorate the uprising.

The contest was divided into three main categories: one-frame comic, three-frame comic strip and 16-page comic strip.

Anuwat Penchamras won the top prize for a 16-page comic calling for peace in the deep South. Thipporn Namnuan, a Grade 12 student from Samutprakarn, who won a top honour for the high-school level, also addressed the problems in the South in his comic.

Anuwat received a Bt30,000 prize, while Thipporn received Bt15,000.

After the unrest in the South, the country's political troubles were the second most popular subject.

"It could be assumed that the southern unrest and the tense political situation have had a big effect on people," said Sudjai.

"Contestants from around the country are concerned about these issues. Some of them even sent in cartoons to call for peace in the deep South, but noted that they didn't want any prizes."

One primary school student submitted a cartoon about politics, showing that even very young people are aware of the political situation, she added.

Naree Charoenpolpiriya, one of the contest's judges and an instructor in non-violent political action at the Peace Information Centre, said that while many of the cartoonists had tried to tackle the problems in the South in their cartoons, few of them seemed to understand the troubles there.

"Many of the cartoons urged people to appreciate diversity, but the cartoons themselves reflected a lack of understanding of the people in the South," she said. For example, she said one cartoon inaccurately portrayed a female Muslim student wearing short sleeves.

Though some cartoons missed the mark, attention to such cultural details seems to have been why Anuwat impressed the judges.

"His work shows he really understands the different cultures," said Naree.

Anuwat's cartoon, titled "A Bullet and Flowers", presented detailed representations of both Muslim and Buddhist students. His beautifully drawn comic tells the story of a Muslim boy and a Buddhist girl in the same school who expressed their desire for peace by selling flowers along the roadside. The artist used flowers to symbolise peace.

"He also suggested via his comic that the problems in the South might be solved by instilling love and understanding in the new generation of both religions," said the famous cartoonist Sakda Sae Aiew, a judge who is also known as Zia Thairath.

He added that he had never expected so many people to be interested in the theme of peace, which is in need all over the world now.

Sudjai said the theme of peace was a perfect way to commemorate October 6.

"The October 6 uprising was a fight for democracy. To preserve democracy, people, especially young people, should realise the real meaning of peace," she said.

Naree said the contest would inspire people to peacefully express their feelings about peace.

"If people start thinking about the meaning of peace when they are young, their understanding of the word will improve as they mature," she said.

The 21 winning entries in the three different age categories as well as the other entries will be on display at Thammasat University on October 8 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the uprising. They will also be bound in a single volume and sold at the event.

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot

The Nation