The 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced, recognizing achievements in journalism, literature, and musical composition. This year, in journalism categories, local U.S newspapers stood out for their coverage of three mass shootings that took place in the country over the past year.
In the Breaking News category, the award went to The Minnesota Star Tribune for its reporting on a shooting that occurred during a Catholic school service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August 2025, which left two children dead and 17 others injured.
The New York Times received three separate awards: Investigative Reporting for its coverage examining financial ties between the U.S government and certain individuals, Commentary for a piece exploring contemporary themes such as oppression, belonging, and exile through history and personal experience; and Breaking News Photography for an image showing the destruction and hunger in Gaza caused by Israeli actions.
The Public Service award was given to The Washington Post for its reporting on restructuring efforts within federal institutions under the administration of Donald Trump and the human impact of cuts in certain government departments.
Reuters won in the National Reporting category for its coverage of the U.S president’s efforts to expand executive powers.
The International Reporting award went to Associated Press for its global investigation into advanced mass surveillance technologies, developed in China, promoted in Silicon Valley and later repurposed by U.S border authorities.
In the Explanatory Reporting category, San Francisco Chronicle was honored for its series “Burned” which revealed how insurance companies in the United States used algorithmic tools to undervalue properties and deny compensation claims from victims of wildfires in California.
Winners in literature and music
Pulitzer Prizes in literature, drama and music were also awarded.
The Fiction award went to Daniel Kraus for Angel Down.
The Drama award was given to Bess Wohl for Liberation.
The History award went to Jill Lepore for We the People: A History of the U.S Constitution.
The Biography award was presented to Amanda Vaill for Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution.
The Memoir or Autobiography award went to Yiyun Li for Things in Nature Merely Grow.
The Poetry award was given to Juliana Spahr for Ars Poeticas.
The General Nonfiction award went to Brian Goldstone for There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America.
The Music award was presented to Gabriela Lena Frank for Picaflor: A Future Myth.
The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded since 1917, in accordance with the will of Hungarian-born American publisher Joseph Pulitzer, to recognize outstanding achievements in journalism and the arts. The winners are selected by a jury appointed by the Journalism School of Columbia University.
