Finn Graff wins 2025 Norwegian editorial cartoon of the year for Epstein-Trump illustration

Finn Graff, the veteran editorial cartoonist for Dagbladet, was awarded Norway’s 2025 cartoon of the year on Thursday for his depiction of Jeffrey Epstein’s spectral grasp on Donald Trump, the newspaper reported from Trondheim.

The winning illustration, published alongside a commentary by Dagbladet’s Marie Simonsen, shows the deceased Epstein’s arm emerging from a grave to clutch at Trump. The jury cited its “elegant” fusion of two dominant 2025 news figures, noting the “clammy, dead hand” of Epstein encircling Trump at a moment when many assumed the former president would be undone by the released Epstein files.

“At times, the old masters are the greatest,” the jury stated. “This drawing is, in the jury’s view, utterly brilliant.”

Graff, who has drawn for Dagbladet since 1987, prevailed among six finalists, including entries from VG, Morgenbladet, and Namdalsavisa. The prize—bestowed by the Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Media Businesses’ Association, and the Norwegian Editors’ Association—drew from 105 submissions by 36 cartoonists.

This marks Graff’s third win, following previous honours in 2000 and 2005, plus an honorary mention in 2024 for another Trump caricature. In 2017, he received Norway’s Grand Journalism Prize for his lifelong work.

Lars Helle, Dagbladet’s political editor, described Graff as the paper’s “most important and prominent commentator,” praising his “precise yet perfidious” linework and unpredictable detail. “He’s unstoppable,” Helle said, “especially in the nuances that Graff enthusiasts adore.”

Gunnar Stavrum, Dagbladet’s editor-in-chief, called the award “fully deserved” and underscored the cartoon’s role in the paper’s opinion journalism. “Editorial illustration is under pressure today,” Stavrum said. “We’re proud that Norway’s most distinctive cartoonist of recent decades continues to shape Dagbladet’s public voice.”

Graff, who turns 80 on Christmas Day, succeeded legend Gösta Hammarlund in 1987. His work appears weekly in Dagbladet’s Friday and Saturday comment sections, as well as digitally.