FOLLOW-UP: Kirkland Cartoonist Upbeat After Solid Showing in National Competition

Kirkland cartoonist Jodie Masiwchuk remains undaunted after she and her strip, “Suburban Sarah,” failed to win a 10-week national contest. Masiwchuk was the only woman to make it to the final round.

“I’m relentless,” the Finn Hill resident said Tuesday. “It’s really one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m proud to have been the only woman in the final round. It’s an accomplishment I can tuck under my belt. I did the absolute best I could. I’m just going to move on from here.”

Masiwchuk—pronounced MASSA-chuk—and her strip, which focuses on the humor she finds in the angst of everyday life, were profiled in a March story on Kirkland Patch.

She earned thousands of votes in The Cartoonist Studio's online contest, originally involving 120 cartoonists nationwide. The cartoonists submitted one strip each week for 10 straight weeks, which were voted on by friends, followers, colleagues and others.

The Cartoonist Studio announced the winner and two runners-up late Monday. Daniel Beyer and his cartoon "Long Story Short" earned the top prize, a five-year development contract with Creator’s Syndicate, a syndication agency for cartoonists, columnists and commentators.

Masiwchuk, 39, was third in the voting on the final week, but didn’t make the top three.

She is a winner nonetheless to her many fans and supporters, judging by the comments they’ve left on her Facebook page.

Masiwchuk knew the odds were long—just like they are for anyone trying to break into the difficult world of cartooning, what with the diminishing number of paying outlets such as newspapers.

“I hope I’ll be an inspiration to other women, no matter what their hopes and dreams are, however out of reach they may seem."