The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes on Monday recognised some of the most impactful journalism and creative works of the past year, honoring leading news organisations, writers, dramatists and musicians across categories spanning public service, investigative reporting, fiction, history and music.
The awards highlighted the work of major US media outlets including The Washington Post, Reuters, The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle, while also celebrating achievements in literature and the arts.
The prestigious Public Service prize was awarded to The Washington Post. Finalists in the category included The Wall Street Journal for reporting led by Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo, as well as the Chicago Tribune.
In Breaking News Reporting, the staff of the Minnesota Star Tribune won the award, with finalists including teams from The Wall Street Journal, Southern California News Group and The Seattle Times.
The Investigative Reporting prize went to the staff of The New York Times. Finalists included Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose and Brandon Roberts of ProPublica, along with Cynthia Dizikes and Joaquin Palomino of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Explanatory Reporting award was won by Susie Neilson, Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale of the San Francisco Chronicle, with finalists including reporters from ProPublica and the staff of Bloomberg.
Reuters secured two major journalism honors. The Beat Reporting prize was awarded to Jeff Horwitz and Engen Tham, while the National Reporting award went to Reuters staff including Ned Parker, Linda So, Peter Eisler and Mike Spector. The International Reporting category was won by journalists from Associated Press — Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and contributor Yael Grauer.
Two prizes were awarded in Local Reporting. Winners included Dave Altimari and Ginny Monk of The Connecticut Mirror alongside Sophie Chou and Haru Coryne of ProPublica. The staff of the Chicago Tribune also received a prize after being moved into the category by the Pulitzer Board.
In Opinion Writing, M Gessen of The New York Times won the award, while Mark Lamster of The Dallas Morning News received the Criticism prize.
The Breaking News Photography award went to Saher Alghorra, a contributor to The New York Times, while Jahi Chikwendiu of The Washington Post won Feature Photography. The Audio Reporting category was awarded to the staff of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
In the Books, Drama and Music categories, Angel Down by Daniel Kraus won the Fiction prize, while Liberation by Bess Wohl won for Drama. Historian Jill Lepore received the History award for We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution.
The Biography prize went to Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill. Yiyun Li won Memoir or Autobiography for Things in Nature Merely Grow, while the Poetry prize went to Ars Poeticas by Juliana Spahr. The General Nonfiction award was presented to There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone. In music, Picaflor: A Future Myth by Gabriela Lena Frank received top honors.
The Pulitzer Board also awarded a Special Citation to journalist Julie K. Brown in recognition of her contributions to journalism.
Established in 1917 through the will of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the prizes are administered by Columbia University in New York City. They are presented annually to journalists, newspapers, authors, playwrights, poets, historians, photographers and composers for outstanding work produced during the previous year.
In journalism, categories include Public Service, Investigative Reporting, Breaking News, International Reporting, Feature Writing, Commentary and Photography, with major news organizations, independent journalists and digital media outlets eligible.
The awards also recognize achievements in books, drama and music, with categories spanning Fiction, History, Biography, Memoir, Poetry, General Nonfiction, Drama and Music Composition. Winners are selected by the Pulitzer Prize Board based on recommendations from independent juries made up of editors, writers, academics and experts.
