One is that politicians will, day in, day out, provide ample fodder for political cartoonists to comment on and ridicule.

This was borne out at the launch of Behind the Lines - The Year in Political Cartoons at the Museum of Australian Democracy on Tuesday.

Curated, for the third time, by Holly Williams, this year's Behind the Lines selection was the biggest to date, with 126 cartoons from 42 cartoonists.

MoAD Director Daryl Karp said the 2021 theme, Prophecy and Chance, was a clear choice.

"Thanks to the news cycle's fixation on forecasted figures, Australians have become obsessed with predicting the future," she said.

"After 12 months of modelling and predictions, somehow 2021 was the most unpredictable year yet."

Sydney cartoonist Glen Le Lievre, a veteran of three decades who's worked in New York as well as Australia, was named political cartoonist of the year.

Mr Le Lievre has drawn for Fairfax, Playboy, Mad magazine and The New Yorker.

In 2020, he was the first cartoonist to present digital works in Behind the Lines, with a series of animated gifs, and produced more this year.

Ms Karp said, "Glen has an ability to capture in a series of images, often gifs, a poignancy and sharpness that speaks to the year that was.

"He has left us with some truly unforgettable characters, including parachuting rats and talking milkshakes."

Asked how it felt to receive the award, Mr Le Lievre said, "Humbling, actually.

"It's highly unusual the judging panel would select an actual crowd-funded cartoonist.

"They're usually affliliated with a major masthead - all excellent, of course."

Nine emerging cartoonists are making their Behind the Lines debuts, including Meg O'Shea, Van T. Rudd (aka Van Nishing), Sarah Firth and James Hillier (aka Nordacious).

Ms Williams said, "We are thrilled to feature so many emerging artists this year.

"The world of political cartooning is evolving, with artists producing really innovative and provocative works on social media rather than for major newspapers."

Also included were cartoons from veterans such as The Canberra Times' David Pope and Nine cartoonist, last year's winner, Cathy Wilcox.

Guest curated by journalist and author Karen Middleton, the 2021 In Focus section featured a series of cartoons exploring Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan for the past two decades.

Ms Williams said, "I think the enduring popularity of political cartoons speaks to this country's ability to turn any situation into a joke, something to laugh about at the pub.

"We love poking fun at the powers that be. And no one does that better than political cartoonists."