The winners of the 105th class of Pulitzer Prize for the year 2021 have been revealed. The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, and online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States.
It is managed by Columbia University in New York City. The award was formed in 1917 by provisions in the will of American (Hungarian-born) Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer then gained his wealth as a newspaper publisher. Each winner in 22 categories receives a certificate and also a cash prize of US $15,000. A gold medal is given to the winner in the field of public service.
Pulitzer Prize for Journalism
* Public Service – The New York Times
For brave, foresighted, and comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus pandemic that exposed racial and also economic inequities, government failures in the United States and beyond, and filled a data void that helped local governments, healthcare providers, businesses, and individuals better prepare and protect themselves.
* Breaking News Reporting – Staff of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
For its timely, authoritative, and also nuanced coverage of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis cops and the subsequent fallout.
* Investigative Reporting – Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen, and Brendan McCarthy of The Boston Globe
For reporting the story of state governments’ persistent reluctance to disclose information about risky truck drivers that may have kept them off the road, triggering swift reforms.
* Explanatory Reporting – Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell, and Jackie Botts of Reuters
For an in-depth discussion of the esoteric legal theory of “qualified immunity” and how it protects police who use excessive force from prosecution. Then it is based on a groundbreaking statistical analysis of federal court cases in the United States.
Ed Yong of The Atlantic
For a series of concise as well as conclusive writings on the COVID-19 pandemic that predicted the disease’s trajectory, consolidated the country’s complex issues. It likewise highlighted the US government’s shortcomings and gave clear and accessible context for the scientific and human issues it posed.
* Local Reporting – Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of the Tampa Bay Times
For ingenious as well as innovative reporting that revealed how a strong and politically connected sheriff established a clandestine intelligence operation that harassed neighbors and profiled pupils using grades and child welfare information.
* National Reporting – Staffs of The Marshall Project; AL.com, Birmingham; IndyStar, Indianapolis; and the Invisible Institute, Chicago
A year-long study of K-9 units and the harm that police dogs do to Americans. It includes innocent bystanders and also policemen, resulted in numerous statewide reforms.
* International Reporting- Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing, and Christo Buschek of BuzzFeed News
For a series of clear and engaging pieces that identified a large new infrastructure erected by the Chinese government for the mass imprisonment of Muslims, using satellite images and architectural knowledge, as well as interviews with two dozen former inmates. (Moved from the Explanatory Reporting category, where it was also entered and nominated, by the Board.)
* Feature Writing – Mitchell S. Jackson, freelance contributor, Runner’s World
For a moving narrative of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. It blended vivid writing, meticulous research, and also personal experience to bring awareness on America’s systematic racism.
Nadja Drost, freelance contributor, The California Sunday Magazine
For a bold and engrossing narrative of worldwide migration that follows a group of people as they walk across the Darién Gap, one of the world’s most perilous migrant routes.
* Commentary – Michael Paul Williams of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch
For probing and historically perceptive writings that helped Richmond, the former Confederate capital, through the difficult as well as the traumatic process of removing the city’s white supremacist monuments.
* Criticism – Wesley Morris of The New York Times
For unfailingly topical and highly involved commentary on the nexus of race and culture in America. It is also expressed in a unique manner that alternates between being amusing and serious.
* Editorial Writing – Robert Greene of the Los Angeles Times
For articles on policing, bail reform, prisons, and also mental health. They also looked at the criminal justice system in Los Angeles comprehensively and holistically.
* Editorial Cartooning – No award given
* Breaking News Photography – Photography Staff of Associated Press
For a collection of images from many U.S. cities that illustrates the country’s reaction to George Floyd’s death.
* Feature Photography- Emilio Morenatti of Associated Press
For a moving sequence of images that transports visitors into the life of elderly people in Spain who are struggling through the Covid pandemic.
* Audio Reporting – Lisa Hagen, Chris Haxel, Graham Smith, and Robert Little of National Public Radio
For an investigation into “no compromise” gun rights advocates that revealed the deep divisions and divide within American conservatives.
Pulitzer Prize for Books, Drama, and Music
* Fiction – The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (Harper)
A beautiful, polyphonic novel about a community’s attempts in the 1950s to stop the intended relocation as well as the annihilation of many Native American tribes. It is written with skill and also vision.
* Drama – The Hot Wing King, by Katori Hall
A comical, moving look at Black masculinity and how it is. It is a display through the eyes of a loving homosexual couple and also their extended family as they prepare for a cooking competition.
* History – Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright/Norton)
A complex portrait of race and capitalism that masterfully illustrates how the fight for civil rights intertwined with the fate of Black businesses. A Nuanced Account of the Complicated Role of the Fast-Food Industry in African-American Communities is a portrait of race and capitalism. It also masterfully illustrates how the fight for civil rights intertwined with the fate of Black businesses.
* Biography – The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, by the late Les Payne and Tamara Payne (Liveright/Norton)
A moving and illuminating portrait of the civil rights leader, based on dozens of interviews. It provides insight into his personality, ideas, and also the circumstances that created him.
* Poetry – Postcolonial Love Poem, by Natalie Diaz (Graywolf Press)
A collection of sweet, heartbreaking, and also rebellious poetry. It looks at what it means to love and be loved in a divided America.
* General Nonfiction – Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, by David Zucchino (Atlantic Monthly Press)
A fascinating tale of the overthrow of a Black-majority North Carolina city’s elected government following Reconstruction. It untangles a complex set of power relationships spanning race, class, and gender.
* Music – Stride, by Tania León (Peermusic Classical)
A musical voyage full of surprises, with strong brass and also rhythmic patterns that blend Black music traditions from the US and the Caribbean into a Western orchestral fabric. It likewise premiered on February 13, 2020, at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City.
Special Citations
* Special Awards and Citations – Darnella Frazier
For bravely filming the assassination of George Floyd. A video that sparked worldwide protests against police brutality. It also highlighted the critical role of citizens in journalists’ pursuit of truth and justice.
2021 Press Releases
Stephen Engelberg and Aminda Marqués González elected Co-Chairs of Pulitzer Prize Board
Pulitzer Prizes to accept Digital Book Submissions for 2021 Awards.