First awarded 1917 Ceremony date 10 April 2017 | Official website pulitzer.org | |
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Awarded for Excellence in newspaper journalism, literary achievements, musical composition Presented by Columbia Lions men's basketball Winners The SympathizerViet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer, Fiction Prize, Fiction Prize, Jessica Rinaldi, Jessica Rinaldi, Feature Photography Prize, Feature Photography Prize, HamiltonLin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton, Drama Prize, Drama Prize, Sergey Ponomarev, Sergey Ponomarev, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Tyler Hicks, Tyler Hicks, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Daniel Etter, Daniel Etter, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Mauricio Lima, Mauricio Lima, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Ozone JournalPeter Balakian, Ozone Journal, Poetry Prize, Poetry Prize, Associated Press, Associated Press, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New AmericaT J Stiles, Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, History Prize, History Prize, In for a Penny - In for a PoundHenry Threadgill, In for a Penny - In for a Pound, Music Prize, Music Prize, T Christian Miller, T Christian Miller, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Ken Armstrong, Ken Armstrong, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, National Reporting, National Reporting, Black Flags: The Rise of ISISJoby Warrick, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, General Non-Fiction Prize, General Non-Fiction Prize, Kathryn Schulz, Kathryn Schulz, Feature Writing Prize, Feature Writing Prize, Alissa J Rubin, Alissa J Rubin, International Reporting, International Reporting, Michael Braga, Michael Braga, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Leonora LaPeter Anton, Leonora LaPeter Anton, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Anthony Cormier, Anthony Cormier, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, All the Light We Cannot SeeAnthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See, Fiction Prize, Fiction Prize, Daniel Berehulak, Daniel Berehulak, Feature Photography Prize, Feature Photography Prize, Between Riverside and CrazyStephen Adly Guirgis, Between Riverside and Crazy, Drama Prize, Drama Prize, St Louis Post-Dispatch, St Louis Post-Dispatch, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, DigestGregory Pardlo, Digest, Poetry Prize, Poetry Prize, The Post and Courier, The Post and Courier, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan PeopleElizabeth A Fenn, Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People, History Prize, History Prize, Anthracite FieldsJulia Wolfe, Anthracite Fields, Music Prize, Music Prize, Zachary Mider, Zachary Mider, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Carol D Leonnig, Carol D Leonnig, National Reporting, National Reporting, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural HistoryElizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, General Non-Fiction Prize, General Non-Fiction Prize, Diana Marcum, Diana Marcum, Feature Writing Prize, Feature Writing Prize, The New York Times, The New York Times, International Reporting, International Reporting, The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Eric Lipton, Eric Lipton, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Adam Zyglis, Adam Zyglis, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Rebecca Kimitch, Rebecca Kimitch, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize, Frank Suraci, Frank Suraci, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize, Rob Kuznia, Rob Kuznia, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize, The Pope and MussoliniDavid Kertzer, The Pope and Mussolini, Biography or Autobiography Prize, Biography or Autobiography Prize, The GoldfinchDonna Tartt, The Goldfinch, Fiction Prize, Fiction Prize, Josh Haner, Josh Haner, Feature Photography Prize, Feature Photography Prize, The FlickAnnie Baker, The Flick, Drama Prize, Drama Prize, Tyler Hicks, Tyler Hicks, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, 3 SectionsVijay Seshadri, 3 Sections, Poetry Prize, Poetry Prize, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, Guardian US, Guardian US, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia - 1772-1832Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia - 1772-1832, History Prize, History Prize, Become OceanJohn Luther Adams, Become Ocean, Music Prize, Music Prize, Eli Saslow, Eli Saslow, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, David Philipps, David Philipps, National Reporting, National Reporting, Toms River: A Story of Science and SalvationDan Fagin, Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation, General Non-Fiction Prize, General Non-Fiction Prize, Andrew Marshall, Andrew Marshall, International Reporting, International Reporting, Jason Szep, Jason Szep, International Reporting, International Reporting, Chris Hamby, Chris Hamby, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Kevin Siers, Kevin Siers, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Will Hobson, Will Hobson, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize, Michael LaForgia, Michael LaForgia, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize, Margaret Fuller: A New American LifeMegan Marshall, Margaret Fuller: A New American Life, Biography or Autobiography Prize, Biography or Autobiography Prize, The Boston Globe, The Boston Globe, Breaking News Reporting Prize, Breaking News Reporting Prize, The Orphan Master's SonAdam Johnson, The Orphan Master's Son, Fiction Prize, Fiction Prize, Javier Manzano, Javier Manzano, Feature Photography Prize, Feature Photography Prize, DisgracedAyad Akhtar, Disgraced, Drama Prize, Drama Prize, Narciso Contreras, Narciso Contreras, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Manu Brabo, Manu Brabo, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Khalil Hamra, Khalil Hamra, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Muhammed Muheisen, Muhammed Muheisen, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Rodrigo Abd, Rodrigo Abd, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Stag's LeapSharon Olds, Stag's Leap, Poetry Prize, Poetry Prize, Sun-Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's VietnamFredrik Logevall, Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam, History Prize, History Prize, Partita for 8 VoicesCaroline Shaw, Partita for 8 Voices, Music Prize, Music Prize, Hiroko TabuchiNYT, Hiroko Tabuchi, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Bill VlasicNYT, Bill Vlasic, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, John MarkoffNYT, John Markoff, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, David KocieniewskiNYT, David Kocieniewski, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, David SegalNYT, David Segal, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, David BarbozaNYT, David Barboza, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Charles DuhiggNYT, Charles Duhigg, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Steve LohrNYT, Steve Lohr, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Craig F Walker, Craig F Walker, Feature Photography Prize, Feature Photography Prize, Water by the SpoonfulQuiara Alegría Hudes, Water by the Spoonful, Drama Prize, Drama Prize, Massoud Hossaini, Massoud Hossaini, Spot News Photography Prize, Spot News Photography Prize, Life on MarsTracy K Smith, Life on Mars, Poetry Prize, Poetry Prize, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Public Service Prize, Public Service Prize, Malcolm X: A Life of ReinventionManning Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, History Prize, History Prize, Silent NightKevin Puts, Silent Night, Music Prize, Music Prize, David Kocieniewski, David Kocieniewski, Explanatory Reporting Prize, Explanatory Reporting Prize, David Wood, David Wood, National Reporting, National Reporting, The Swerve: How the World Became ModernStephen Greenblatt, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, General Non-Fiction Prize, General Non-Fiction Prize, Eli Sanders, Eli Sanders, Feature Writing Prize, Feature Writing Prize, Jeffrey Gettleman, Jeffrey Gettleman, International Reporting, International Reporting, Adam Goldman, Adam Goldman, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Michael J Berens, Michael J Berens, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Matt Apuzzo, Matt Apuzzo, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Eileen Sullivan, Eileen Sullivan, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Ken Armstrong, Ken Armstrong, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Chris Hawley, Chris Hawley, Investigative Reporting Prize, Investigative Reporting Prize, Matt Wuerker, Matt Wuerker, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Editorial Cartooning Prize, Sara GanimThe Patriot-News, Sara Ganim, Local Reporting Prize, Local Reporting Prize | ||
The Pulitzer Prize /ˈpʊlᵻtsər/ is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of American (Hungarian-born) Joseph Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher, and is administered by Columbia University in New York City. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award (raised from $10,000 in 2017). The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.
Contents
2016 pulitzer prize announcement
Entry and prize consideration
The Pulitzer Prize does not automatically consider all applicable works in the media, but only those that have specifically entered. (There is a $50 entry fee, paid for each desired entry category.) Entries must fit in at least one of the specific prize categories, and cannot simply gain entrance for being literary or musical. Works can also only be entered in a maximum of two categories, regardless of their properties.
Each year, 102 jurors are selected by the Pulitzer Prize Board to serve on 20 separate juries for the 21 award categories; one jury makes recommendations for both photography awards. Most juries consist of five members, except for those for Public Service, Investigative Reporting, Explanatory Reporting, Feature writing and Commentary categories, which have seven members; all book juries have three members. For each award category, a jury makes three nominations. The board selects the winner by majority vote from the nominations or bypasses the nominations and selects a different entry following a 75% majority vote. The board can also vote to issue no award. The board and journalism jurors are not paid for their work; however, the jurors in letters, music, and drama receive a $2,000 honorarium for the year, and each chair receives $2,500.
Difference between entrants and nominated finalists
Anyone whose work has been submitted is called an entrant. The jury selects a group of nominated finalists and announces them, together with the winner for each category. However, some journalists who were only submitted, but not nominated as finalists, still claim to be Pulitzer nominees in promotional material.
For example, Bill Dedman of msnbc.com (the recipient of the 1989 Investigative Reporting Prize) pointed out in 2012 that financial journalist Betty Liu was described as "Pulitzer Prize-Nominated" in her Bloomberg Television advertising and the jacket of her book, while National Review writer Jonah Goldberg made similar claims of "Pulitzer nomination" to promote his books. Dedman wrote, "To call that submission a Pulitzer 'nomination' is like saying that Adam Sandler is an Oscar nominee if Columbia Pictures enters That's My Boy in the Academy Awards. Many readers realize that the Oscars don't work that way—the studios don't pick the nominees. It's just a way of slipping 'Academy Awards' into a bio. The Pulitzers also don't work that way, but fewer people know that."
History
Newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer gave money in his will to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Prize. It allocated $250,000 to the prize and scholarships. He specified "four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one in education, and four traveling scholarships." After his death, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded June 4, 1917; they are now announced each April. The Chicago Tribune under the control of Colonel McCormick felt that the Pulitzer Prize was nothing more than a 'mutual admiration society' and not to be taken seriously; the paper refused to compete for the prize during McCormick's tenure up until 1961.
Individuals
Many people have won more than one Pulitzer Prize. Nelson Harding is the only person to have won a Prize in two consecutive years, the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1927 and 1928.
Arts & Letters
Arts & Letters and Journalism
Journalism
Newspapers
Nominally, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is awarded only to news organizations, not individuals. In rare instances, contributors to the entry are singled out in the citation in a manner analogous to individual winners. Journalism awards may be awarded to individuals or newspapers or newspaper staffs; infrequently, staff Prize citations also distinguish the work of prominent contributors.
Categories
Awards are made in categories relating to journalism, arts, letters and fiction. Reports and photographs by United States-based newspapers, magazines and news organizations (including news websites) that "[publish] regularly" are eligible for the journalism prize. Beginning in 2007, "an assortment of online elements will be permitted in all journalism categories except for the competition's two photography categories, which will continue to restrict entries to still images." In December 2008 it was announced that for the first time content published in online-only news sources would be considered.
Although certain winners with magazine affiliations (most notably Moneta Sleet, Jr. and Sheri Fink) were allowed to enter the competition due to eligible partnerships or concurrent publication of their work in newspapers, the Pulitzer Prize Advisory Board and the Pulitzer Prize Board historically resisted the admission of magazines into the competition, resulting in the formation of the National Magazine Awards at the Columbia Journalism School in 1966.
In 2015, magazines were allowed to enter for the first time in two categories (Investigative Reporting and Feature Writing). By 2016, this provision had expanded to three additional categories (International Reporting, Criticism and Editorial Cartooning). That year, Kathryn Schulz (Feature Writing) and Emily Nussbaum (Criticism) of The New Yorker became the first magazine affiliates to receive the Prize under the expanded eligibility criterion.
In October 2016, magazine eligibility was extended to all journalism categories.
Definitions of Pulitzer Prize categories as presented in the 2008 competition:
There are six categories in letters and drama:
There is one prize given for music:
There have been dozens of Special Citations and Awards: more than ten each in Arts, Journalism, and Letters, and five for Pulitzer Prize service, most recently to Joseph Pulitzer, Jr. in 1987.
In addition to the prizes, Pulitzer Travelling Fellowships are awarded to four outstanding students of the Graduate School of Journalism as selected by the faculty.
Changes to categories
Over the years, awards have been discontinued either because the field of the award has been expanded to encompass other areas, the award been renamed because the common terminology changed, or the award has become obsolete, such as the prizes for telegraphic reporting, which was based on the old technology of the telegram.
An example of a writing field that has been expanded was the former Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (awarded 1918–1947), which has been changed to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which also includes short stories, novellas, novelettes, and fictional poetry, as well as novels.
Board
The 19-member board convenes semiannually in the World Room at Columbia University's Pulitzer Hall. It comprises major editors, columnists and media executives in addition to six members drawn from academia and the arts, including the president of Columbia University, the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (since 1976) and the administrator of the Prizes, who serves as the board's secretary. The administrator and the dean participate in the deliberations as ex officio members but cannot vote. Aside from the president and dean (who serve for the duration of their respective appointments) and the administrator (who is reelected annually), the board elects its own members for a three-year term; members may serve a maximum of three terms. Members of the board and the juries are selected with close attention "given to professional excellence and affiliation, as well as diversity in terms of gender, ethnic background, geographical distribution and size of newspaper."
Following the retirement of Joseph Pulitzer, Jr. (a grandson of the endower who served as permanent chair of the board for 31 years) in 1986, the chair has typically rotated to the most senior member (or members, in the case of concurrent elections) on an annual basis.
Since 1975, the board has made all prize decisions; prior to this point, the board's recommendations were ratified by a majority vote of the trustees of Columbia University. Although the administrator's office is housed alongside the Graduate School of Journalism at Pulitzer Hall and several administrators have held faculty appointments at the School of Journalism, the board and administration have been operationally separate from the School since 1950.
Controversies
Criticism and studies
Some critics of the Pulitzer Prize have accused the organization of favoring those who support liberal causes or oppose conservative causes. Syndicated columnist L. Brent Bozell said that the Pulitzer Prize has a "liberal legacy", particularly in its prize for commentary. He pointed to a 31-year period in which only five conservatives won prizes for commentary. The claim is also supported by a statement from the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary, Kathleen Parker: "It's only because I'm a conservative basher that I'm now recognized."
A 2012 academic study by journalism professor Yong Volz and Chinese University journalism professor Francis Lee found "that only 27% of Pulitzer winners since 1991 were females, while newsrooms are about 33% female." The study concluded that the majority of female "winners enjoyed access to greater resources than the average male winner," resources including such things as attendance at Ivy League schools, metropolitan upbringing, or employment with an elite publication such as the New York Times.