Drawing inspiration during dull periods in a race against daily deadlines is the toughest part of the job for Australian Financial Review cartoonist David Rowe.

But an increasingly volatile political landscapes inside and outside Australia has left him rarely facing this challenge of late.

His ability to powerfully, succinctly and humorously illustrate complex issues scored him the title of 2017 political cartoonist of the year, awarded by the Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) at Old Parliament House.

The honour was revealed today at the launch of MOAD's annual political cartoonist exhibition, Behind the Lines 2017: The Three Ring Circus.

Taking the Lead succinctly sums up the complexity of the nation's power dilemma. ( Matt Golding, The Sunday Age, March 2017 )

MOAD director Daryl Karp said the art was the best way to reflect a tumultuous year in federal politics, from postal votes and citizenship chaos, to penalty rates and constitutional recognition.

Rowe's cartoons echoed this political instability, while also noting its existence beyond Australia's borders.

"I guess we are reporters really. We're covering events and I think all cartoonists are drawn to what's going on in America with [US President] Trump, so there is a lot of Trump cartoons out there," he said.

"But [there's also a focus on] same-sex marriage, renewable energy, leadership fractions and especially refugee saturation [which] is pretty dire at the moment."

Closing the Gap shows the huge distance that still needs to be bridged with Indigenous equality. ( Alan Moir, The Sydney Morning Herald, February 2017 )

He believed this disruption, coupled with the wide and instant reach of social media, has meant more people are taking interest in his and other cartoonists' work.

"When I started, I was trying to make something pleasant to look at as well as be interesting," he said.

"But as I've gotten more mature as a cartoonist I think I am trying to say what I feel about certain issues and getting that into an image that makes people think about things they may not have necessarily otherwise thought about.

"It's interesting and a great job ... and this [award] is a great honour."

This year's exhibition also showcases work from John Shakespeare, Michael Leunig, Cathy Wilcox and Mark Knight.

Curator Holly Williams said the featured cartoonists skilfully reflected a wild, entertaining, confusing and engrossing year.

Great Barrier Greef invites us to consider the long-term repercussions of our actions and what we stand to lose. ( Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 2017 )

"David Rowe has met the events both at home and abroad with a dark intensity and unflinching pen," Ms Williams said.

"The figures he draws become lurid, bordering on the grotesque as he gives visual form to our uneasy feelings on the state of the world."

Rowe has captured Australia's political landscape since the late 1980s.

It is the second consecutive year Fairfax Media's Cathy Wilcox has been recognised in the exhibition, having taken out the top gong in 2106.

Behind the Lines opens to the public in Canberra on Saturday.

A second, travelling version of the exhibition will the following regions: