Pulitzer Prize Totally Explained

Everything about Pulitzer Prizes totally explained

The Pulitzer Prize, PULL-it-sər, is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements and musical composition. It is administered by Columbia University in New York City. Ironically, Pulitzer along with William Hearst was one of the originators of yellow journalism.
   Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of these, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash reward. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal, which always goes to a newspaper, although an individual may be named in the citation.
   The prize was established by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, who left money to Columbia University upon his death in 1911. A portion of his bequest was used to found the university's journalism school in 1912. The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4 1917, and they're now announced each April. Recipients are chosen by an independent board.
   Several of the more famous recipients of the Pulitzer Prize include Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, and Toni Morrison for Fiction; Robert Frost for Poetry; Roger Ebert for Criticism; and Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim for Drama.
   Notable winners of more than one Pulitzer Prize include David McCullough (twice) for Biography; Eugene O'Neill (four times), Edward Albee (three times), and August Wilson (twice) for Drama; and William Faulkner (twice), John Updike (twice), and Booth Tarkington (twice) for Novel / Fiction. (This category's name was changed in 1948 from Novel to Fiction).
   Both Eugene O'Neill and Booth Tarkington accomplished the feat of winning the prize two times in a four-year period. Thornton Wilder is notable for winning prizes in more than one category—one in the Novel category and two in the Drama category.

Categories

Awards are made in categories relating to journalism, arts, and letters. Only published reports and photographs by United States-based newspapers or daily news organizations 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."
The current Pulitzer Prize category definitions in the 2008 competition, in the order they're awarded, are:

Public Service—for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper through the use of its journalistic resources, which may include editorials, cartoons, and photographs, as well as reporting. Often thought of as the grand prize, the Public Service award is given to the newspaper, not to individuals, though individuals are often mentioned for their contributions.
Breaking News Reporting—for a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news.
Investigative Reporting—for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series.
Explanatory Reporting—for a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing, and clear presentation.
Local Reporting—for a distinguished example of local reporting that illuminates significant issues or concerns.:

Danielle Allen, Professor, Departments of Classics and Political Science and the Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago

Jim Amoss, Editor, Times-Picayune, New Orleans, La.

Amanda Bennett, Executive Editor/Enterprise, Bloomberg News

Lee Bollinger, President, Columbia University

Kathleen Carroll, Executive Editor and Senior Vice President, Associated Press

Joyce Dehli, Vice President for News, Lee Enterprises

Thomas Friedman, Columnist, The New York Times

Paul Gigot, Editorial Page Editor, The Wall Street Journal

Sig Gissler, Administrator, Graduate School of Journalism

Anders Gyllenhaal, Executive Editor, The Miami Herald

Jay Harris (co-chair), Wallis Annenberg Chair, Director, Center for the Study of Journalism and Democracy, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California

David M. Kennedy, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Stanford University

Nicholas Lemann, Dean, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Ann Marie Lipinski, Senior Vice President and Editor, Chicago Tribune

Gregory Moore, Editor, The Denver Post

Richard Oppel (co-chair), Editor, Austin American-Statesman

Paul Tash, Editor, CEO, and Chairman, St. Petersburg Times

Winners

The Pulitzer Prize Board distinguishes between "entrants" and "nominated finalists": An "entrant" is simply someone whose work has been submitted for consideration according to the Board's "Plan of Award"; any individual may submit an entry . "Nominated finalists" are those selected by the juries and (since 1980) announced along with the winner for each category. Only nominated finalists may properly be referred to as Pulitzer Prize "nominees."

Discontinued awards

Over the years, awards have been discontinued either because they've been expanded or renamed.
To find, for example, all the winners for investigative reporting, you've to also look back at the prize for local investigative specialized reporting, which previously was the prize for local reporting, no edition time.
Discontinued or merged categories include:

Pulitzer Prize for Reporting, 1917-1947.

Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence, 1929-1947.

Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism, became the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting, 1985-1990, became the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1964-1984, became the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1964-1984, became the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time, 1953-1963, became the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, No Edition Time, 1953-1963, became the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Photography, was divided in 1968 into Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography and a spot news category, which became the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.

Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting, 1991-1997, became the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - International, became the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - National, became the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting 1985-1990, became the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.

Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting, 1991-2006; replaced by the reinstituted Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting

Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, became the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.Further Information

Get more info on 'Pulitzer Prizes'.

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