Pulitzer Prize
|
The gold medal awarded for Public Service in Journalism |
The
Pulitzer Prize is an
American award regarded as the highest honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions. It is administered by
Columbia University in
New York City.
Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of these, each winner receives a $10,000 cash award and a certificate. 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. Part of the bequest was used to found the university's journalism school in 1912. The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on
June 4 1917, and they are now announced each April. Recipients are chosen by an independent board.
The name
Pulitzer is often mispronounced. It is properly "PULL it sir," not "PEW lit sir," according to the Pulitzer Prize administrators.
A term that is frequently misused is
Pulitzer nominee. Many authors and journalists claim to be
nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, when in fact they have merely been "entered" by filling out required paperwork. According to the Pulitzer web site, only the nominated finalists chosen by Pulitzer juries, usually three per category, are entitled to be called Pulitzer nominees or finalists.
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.
The current Pulitzer Prize category definitions in the
2006 competition, in the order they are 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.
*
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.
*
Beat Reporting — for a distinguished example of
beat reporting characterized by sustained and knowledgeable coverage of a particular subject or activity.
*
National Reporting — for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs.
*
International Reporting — for a distinguished example of reporting on
international affairs, including
United Nations correspondence.
*
Feature Writing — for a distinguished example of
feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality.
*
Commentary — for distinguished commentary.
*
Criticism — for distinguished
criticism.
*
Editorial Writing — for distinguished
editorial writing, the test of excellence being clarity of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction.
*
Editorial Cartooning — for a distinguished
cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect.
*
Breaking News Photography, previously called
Spot News Photography — for a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album.
*
Feature Photography — for a distinguished example of
feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album.
There are six categories in letters and drama:
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Fiction — for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
*
Drama — for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.
*
History — for a distinguished book on the history of the United States.
*
Biography or Autobiography — for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author.
*
Poetry — for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author.
*
General Non-Fiction — for a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category.
And there is one prize given for music:
*
Pulitzer Prize for Music — for a distinguished musical contribution by an American that had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year.
There have also been a number of
Special Citations and Awards.
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.
Over the years, awards have been discontinued either because they have been expanded or renamed.
To find, for example, all the winners for investigative reporting, you have 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.
*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 the Novel, became the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
*In the
LucasArts graphical
adventure game Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (
1988), a journalist named Zack McCracken tries to win the Pulitzer Prize.
*In the
ABC soap opera All My Children the character Edmund Grey (
John Callahan) was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.
*
Homer Simpson won the Pulitzer for publishing a gossip internet page in "
The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", an episode of
The Simpsons.
*In the short-lived series
The Critic (and also revealed on
The Simpsons), Jay Sherman spends the latter part of an episode seeking a second Pulitzer Prize.
*In the
DC Comics universe,
Clark Kent,
Lois Lane, and
Perry White have been described as Pulitzer Prize winners. In the 2006 movie
Superman Returns, Lois Lane received the Pulitzer Prize for her editorial, "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman."
*In the TV show
The West Wing, reporter
Danny Concannon is a Pulitzer Prize winner, although the character C.J. Cregg repeatedly mispronounces "Pulitzer."
* In the movie "
Finding Forrester"
Sean Connery plays William Forrester, the reclusive writer of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
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Pulitzer Prize website and FAQ*
Newseum — selection of Pulitzer Prize photographs
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Pulitzer Prize in English Literature*
Most honored Pulitzer Prize finalists
