Clay Bennett (born January 20, 1958) is an American editorial cartoonist. Currently drawing for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Bennett is the winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.

Born in Clinton, South Carolina, Bennett graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1980. Worked as a staff artist for both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Fayetteville (NC) Times before being offered the editorial cartooning job at the St. Petersburg Times in 1981. Editorial cartoonist at the St. Petersburg Times for 13 years, Bennett was fired in 1994. While Bennett's editor Phil Gailey denied the firing was politically motivated, many observers saw it as part of the traditionally liberal newspaper's attempt to moderate its views. Bennett said "Many saw the termination as political because I was out there on the far left. Obviously expressing your point of view can cost you your job."

Bennett served as editorial cartoonist for The Christian Science Monitor from 1997 to 2007. During that decade he was a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer Prize six times, receiving The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2002. Bennett has earned almost every honor his profession has to offer including the Sigma Delta Chi Award (2001), the National Journalism Award (2002), the National Cartoonist Society Award for Editorial Cartoons (2002), the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (2007), the John Fischetti Award (2001, 2005), the Overseas Press Club Award (2005, 2007), the National Headliner Award (1999, 2000, 2004), and was named 'Editorial Cartoonist of the Year' by Editor & Publisher magazine (2001).