The 98th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music, awarded on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board, were announced today by Columbia University.
The Pulitzer Prize Board made its recommendations for the 2014 prizes when it met at Columbia on April 10 and 11 and passed them to President Lee C. Bollinger. It announced that the awards would be presented at a luncheon on May 28 at Columbia
University. Randell Beck, Robert Blau, Joyce Dehli, Steven Hahn and Keven Ann Willey were re-elected to membership
on the board.
In any category in which board members have an interest due to the action of the various nominating juries, those members do not participate in the discussion and voting and leave the room until a decision is reached in the affected category. Similarly, members of nominating juries do not participate in the discussion of or voting on entries in which they have an interest.
The winners in each category, along with the names of the finalists in the competition, follow:
A. PRIZES IN JOURNALISM
1. PUBLIC SERVICE
For a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources, including the use of stories, editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics, videos, databases, multimedia or interactive presentations or other visual material, a gold medal.
Two Prizes of a gold medal each:
Awarded to The Guardian US for its revelation of widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency, helping through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy.
and
Awarded to The Washington Post for its revelation of widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency, marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security.
Also nominated as a finalist in this category was: Newsday, Long Island, N.Y., for its use ofin-depth reporting and digital tools to expose shootings, beatings and other concealed misconduct by some Long Island police officers, leading to the formation of a grand jury and an official review of police accountability.
2. BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
For a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news that, as quickly as possible, captures events accurately as they occur, and, as time passes, illuminates, provides context and expands upon the initial coverage, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to The Boston Globe Staff for its exhaustive and empathetic coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing manhunt that enveloped the city, using photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: The Arizona Republic Staff for its compelling coverage of a fast-moving wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 firefighters and destroyed more than a hundred homes, using an array of journalistic tools to tell the story, and The Washington Post Staff for its alert, in-depth coverage of the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, employing a mix of platforms to tell a developing story with accuracy and sensitivity.
3. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
For a distinguished example of investigative reporting, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, D.C., for his reports on how some lawyers and doctors rigged a system to deny benefits to coal miners stricken with black lung disease, resulting in remedial legislative efforts.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Megan Twohey of Reuters for her exposure of an underground Internet marketplace where parents could bypass social welfare regulations and get rid of children they had adopted overseas but no longer wanted, the stories triggering governmental action to curb the practice, and Cynthia Hubert and Phillip Reese of The Sacramento Bee for their probe of a Las Vegas mental hospital that used commercial buses to “dump”more than 1,500 psychiatric patients in 48 states over five years, reporting that brought an end to the practice and the firing of hospital employees.
4. 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, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Eli Saslow of The Washington Post for his unsettling and nuanced reporting on the prevalence of food stamps in post-recession America, forcing readers to grapple with issues of poverty and dependency.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Dennis Overbye of The New York Times for his authoritative illumination of the race by two competing teams of 3,000 scientists and technicians over a seven-year period to discover what physicists call the “God particle,” and Les Zaitz of The Oregonian, Portland, for chilling narratives that, at personal risk to him and his sources, revealed how lethal Mexican drug cartels infiltrated Oregon and other regions of the country.
5. LOCAL REPORTING
For a distinguished example of reporting on significant issues of local concern, demonstrating originality and community expertise, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times for their relentless investigation into the squalid conditions that marked housing for the city’s substantial homeless population, leading to swift reforms.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Joan Garrett McClane, Todd South, Doug Strickland and Mary Helen Miller of the Chattanooga Times Free Press for using an array of journalistic tools to explore the “no-snitch” culture that helps perpetuate a cycle of violence in one of the most dangerous cities in the South, and Rebecca O’Brien and Thomas Mashberg of The Record, Woodland Park, N.J., for their jarring exposure of how heroin has permeated the suburbs of northern New Jersey, profiling addicts and anguished families and mapping the drug pipeline from South America to their community.
6. NATIONAL REPORTING
For a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to David Philipps of The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo., for expanding the examination of how wounded combat veterans are mistreated, focusing on loss of benefits for life after discharge by the Army for minor offenses, stories augmented with digital tools and stirring congressional action.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: John Emshwiller and Jeremy Singer-Vine of The Wall Street Journal for their reports and searchable database on the nation’s often overlooked factories and research centers that once produced nuclear weapons and now pose contamination risks, and Jon Hilsenrath of The Wall Street Journal for his exploration of the Federal Reserve, a powerful but little understood national institution.
7. INTERNATIONAL REPORTING
For a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters for their courageous reports on the violent persecution of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar that, in efforts to flee the country, often falls victim to predatory human-trafficking networks.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Rukmini Callimachi of the Associated Press for her discovery and fearless exploration of internal documents that shattered myths and deepened understanding of the global terrorist network of al-Qaida, and Raja Abdulrahim and Patrick McDonnell of the Los Angeles Times for their vivid coverage of the Syrian civil war, showing at grave personal risk how both sides of the conflict contribute to the bloodshed, fear and corruption that define daily life.
8. FEATURE WRITING
For a distinguished example of feature writing, giving prime consideration to quality of writing, originality and concision, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
No Award
Nominated as finalists in this category were: Scott Farwell of The Dallas Morning News for his story about a young woman’s struggle to live a normal life after years of ghastly child abuse, an examination of human resilience in the face of depravity; Christopher Goffard of the Los Angeles Times for his account of an ex-police officer’s nine-day killing spree in Southern California, notable for its pacing, character development and rich detail, and Mark Johnson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his meticulously told tale about a group of first-year medical students in their gross anatomy class and the relationships they develop with one another and the nameless corpse on the table, an account enhanced by multimedia elements.
9. COMMENTARY
For distinguished commentary, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press for his columns on the financial crisis facing his hometown, written with passion and a stirring sense of place, sparing no one in their critique.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Kevin Cullen of The Boston Globe for hisstreet-wise local columns that capture the spirit of a city, especially after its famed Marathon was devastated by terrorist bombings, and Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle for her provocative metro columns written from the perspective of a sixth- generation Texan, often challenging the powerful and giving voice to the voiceless.
10. CRITICISM
For distinguished criticism, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Inga Saffron of The Philadelphia Inquirer for her criticism of architecture that blends expertise, civic passion and sheer readability into arguments that consistently stimulate and surprise.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times for her trenchant and witty television criticism, engaging readers through essays and reviews that feature a conversational style and the force of fresh ideas, and Jen Graves of The Stranger, a Seattle weekly, for her visual arts criticism that, with elegant and vivid description, informs readers about how to look at the complexities of contemporary art and the world in which it’s made.
11. EDITORIAL WRITING
For distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction, using any available journalistic tool, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to the Editorial Staff of The Oregonian, Portland, for its lucid editorials that explain the urgent but complex issue of rising pension costs, notably engaging readers and driving home the link between necessary solutions and their impact on everyday lives.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Dante Ramos of The Boston Globe for his evocative editorials urging Boston to become a more modern, around-the-clock city by shedding longtime restrictions and removing bureaucratic obstacles that can sap its vitality, and Andie Dominick of The Des Moines Register for her diligent editorials challenging Iowa’s arcane licensing laws that regulate occupations ranging from cosmetologists to dentists and often protect practitioners more than the public.
12. EDITORIAL CARTOONING
For a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing and pictorial effect, published as a still drawing, animation or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer for his thought provoking cartoons drawn with a sharp wit and bold artistic style.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: David Horsey of the Los Angeles Times for his wide ranging cartoons that blend skillful caricature with irreverence, causing readers both to laugh and think, and Pat Bagley of The Salt Lake Tribune for his adroit use of images and words that cut to the core of often emotional issues for his readership.
13. BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
For a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Tyler Hicks of The New York Times for his compelling pictures that showed skill and bravery in documenting the unfolding terrorist attack at Westgate mall in Kenya.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: John Tlumacki and David L. Ryan of The Boston Globe for their searing photographs that captured the shock, chaos and heroism after the bloody Boston Marathon bombings, and Goran Tomasevic of Reuters for his sequence of photographs that chronicle two hours of fierce combat on the rebel frontline in Syria’s civil war.
14. FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
For a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to Josh Haner of The New York Times for his moving essay on a Boston Marathon bomb blast victim who lost most of both legs and now is painfully rebuilding his life.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Lacy Atkins of the San Francisco Chronicle for her revealing portrait of an Oakland school’s efforts to help African- American boys avoid neighborhood risks and profit from education, and Michael Williamson of The Washington Post for his portfolio of pictures exploring the multi- faceted impact of the nation’s food stamp program on 47 million recipients.
B. LETTERS AND DRAMA PRIZES
1. FICTION
For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “The Goldfinch,” by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown), a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters that follows a grieving boy’s entanglement with a small famous painting that has eluded destruction, a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Son,” by Philipp Meyer (Ecco), a sweeping multi-generational novel that illuminates the violence and enterprise of the
American West by tracing a Texas family’s passage from lethal frontier perils to immenseoil-boom wealth, and “The Woman Who Lost Her Soul,” by Bob Shacochis (Atlantic Monthly Press), a novel spanning 50 years and three continents that explores the murky world of American foreign policy before 9/11, using provocative themes to raise difficult moral questions.
2. DRAMA
For a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “The Flick,” by Annie Baker, a thoughtful drama withwell-crafted characters that focuses on three employees of a Massachusettsart-house movie theater, rendering lives rarely seen on the stage.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence,” by Madeleine George, a cleverly constructed play that uses several historical moments – from the 1800s to the 2010s – to meditate on the technological advancements that bring people together and tear them apart, and “Fun Home,” book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, music by Jeanine Tesori, a poignant musical adaptation of a graphic memoir by cartoonist Alison Bechdel, exploring sexual identity amid complicated family constraints and relationships.
3. HISTORY
For a distinguished and appropriately documented book on the history of the United States, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832,” by Alan Taylor (W.W. Norton), a meticulous and insightful account of why runaway slaves in the colonial era were drawn to the British side as potential liberators.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama’s America,” by Jacqueline Jones (Basic Books), a deeply researched examination of how race as a social invention has retained its power to organize, mark and harm the lives of Americans, and “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident and the Illusion of Safety,” by Eric Schlosser (The
Penguin Press), a chilling history of the management of America’s nuclear arsenal, exploring the fateful challenges and chronicling the “near misses” that could have triggered a cataclysm.
4. BIOGRAPHY
For a distinguished and appropriately documented biography or autobiography by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “Margaret Fuller: A New American Life,” by Megan Marshall (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a richly researched book that tells the remarkable story of a 19th century author, journalist, critic and pioneering advocate of women’s rights who died in a shipwreck.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World,” by Leo Damrosch (Yale University Press), a seminal work that illuminates the famous yet enigmatic satirist who was also a crucial figure in 18th century Anglo-Irishpolitics, and “Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life,” by Jonathan Sperber (Liveright), an impressively researched work that provides a fresh perspective on Marx and his ideas by placing him in the social and intellectual swirl of the 1800s.
5. POETRY
For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “3 Sections,” by Vijay Seshadri (Graywolf Press), a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Sleep of Reason,” by Morri Creech (The Waywiser Press), a book of masterly poems that capture the inner experience of a man in mid-life who is troubled by mortality and the passage of time, traditional themes that are made to feel new, and “The Big Smoke,” by Adrian Matejka (Penguin), an imaginative work by a commanding poet who engages the history and mythology oflarger-than-life boxer Jack Johnson.
6. GENERAL NONFICTION
For a distinguished and appropriately documented book of nonfiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation,” by Dan Fagin (Bantam Books), a book that deftly combines investigative reporting and historical research to probe a New Jersey seashore town’s cluster of childhood cancers linked to water and air pollution.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide,” by Gary J. Bass (Alfred A. Knopf), a disquieting exploration of the role played by the American president and his national security advisor in the 1971 Pakistani civil war, a bloodbath that killed hundreds of thousands and created millions of refugees, and “The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War,” by Fred Kaplan (Simon & Schuster), an engrossing look at how a tenacious general became the ringleader of efforts to reshape America’s military strategy in thepost-Cold War age.
C. PRIZE IN MUSIC
For distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “Become Ocean,” by John Luther Adams, premiered on June 20, 2013 by the Seattle Symphony, a haunting orchestral work that suggests a relentless tidal surge, evoking thoughts of melting polar ice and rising sea levels (Taiga Press/Theodore Front Musical Literature).
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Gospel According to the Other Mary,” by John Adams, staged version premiered on March 7, 2013 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a monumental oratorio about the final period of Christ’s life that is marked by impassioned music – sometimes forceful, sometimes lyrical – and an ingenious variety of evocative sounds (Boosey & Hawkes), and “Invisible Cities,” by Christopher Cerrone, staged version premiered on October 19, 2013 by The Industry and L.A. Dance Project in Union Station, Los Angeles, a captivating opera based on a novel by Italo Calvino in which Marco Polo regales Kublai Khan with tales of fantastical cities, adapted into an imaginary sonic landscape (Outburst-Inburst Musics).
The members of the Pulitzer Prize Board are: President Bollinger; Danielle Allen, UPS Foundation professor, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J.; Randell Beck, retired president and publisher, Argus Leader Media; Robert Blau, executive editor, Bloomberg News; Katherine Boo, staff writer, The New Yorker; Steve Coll, dean, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University; Gail Collins, op-ed columnist, The New York Times; John Daniszewski, vice president and senior managing editor for international news, Associated Press; Joyce Dehli, vice president for news, Lee Enterprises; Junot Díaz, Rudge and Nancy Allen professor of writing, MIT; Stephen Engelberg, editor-in-chief, ProPublica; Paul A. Gigot, editorial page editor and vice president, The Wall Street Journal; Aminda Marqués Gonzalez, Jeanette P. Nichols professor of history, University of Pennsylvania; Quiara Alegría Hudes, playwright; Eugene Robinson, columnist and associate editor, The Washington Post; Paul Tash, chairman and CEO, Tampa Bay Times; Keven Ann Willey, vice president/editorial page editor, The Dallas Morning News; and Sig Gissler, administrator of the Prizes.
Journalism
PUBLIC SERVICE - Two Prizes: The Guardian US and The Washington Post
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING - The Boston Globe Staff
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING - Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, D.C.
EXPLANATORY REPORTING - Eli Saslow of The Washington Post
LOCAL REPORTING - Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times
NATIONAL REPORTING - David Philipps of The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING - Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters
FEATURE WRITING - No award
COMMENTARY - Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press
CRITICISM - Inga Saffron of The Philadelphia Inquirer
EDITORIAL WRITING - The Editorial Staff of The Oregonian, Portland
EDITORIAL CARTOONING - Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY - Tyler Hicks of The New York Times
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY - Josh Haner of The New York Times
Books, Drama and Music
FICTION - “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown)
DRAMA - “The Flick” by Annie Baker
HISTORY - “The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832″ by Alan Taylor (W.W. Norton)
BIOGRAPHY - “Margaret Fuller: A New American Life” by Megan Marshall (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
POETRY - “3 Sections” by Vijay Seshadri (Graywolf Press)
GENERAL NONFICTION - “Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation” by Dan Fagin (Bantam Books)
MUSIC - “Become Ocean” by John Luther Adams (Taiga Press/Theodore Front Musical Literature)
Filed under: Online, Photography, Publications, Publishing, Radio, Science Tagged: 98th annual Pulitzer Prizes 
