The Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced. The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded since 1917, "honoring excellence in journalism and the arts". This year's Prizes are no different, going to a variety of journalistic and artistic endeavours which have stood out for their excellence in the past year.
The New York Times
summarises the winners.
2010 Pulitzer Prize winners list
Each entry links to the work for which the prize was awarded, where available online, and is followed by the Pulitzer Prize Committee's citation for the respective awards.
Journalism
Public Service - Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier: Awarded to the Bristol (VA) Herald Courier for the work of Daniel Gilbert in illuminating the murky mismanagement of natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of land owners in southwest Virginia, spurring remedial action by state lawmakers.
Breaking News Reporting - The Seattle Times Staff. Awarded to The Seattle Times Staff for its comprehensive coverage, in print and online, of the shooting deaths of four police officers in a coffee house and the 40-hour manhunt for the suspect.
Investigative Reporting - Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News. Awarded for their resourceful reporting that exposed a rogue police narcotics squad, resulting in an FBI probe and the review of hundreds of criminal cases tainted by the scandal.
and
Investigative Reporting (II)- Sheri Fink of ProPublica, in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine. Awarded for a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital’s exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina.
Explanatory Reporting - Michael Moss and members of The New York Times Staff. Awarded for relentless reporting on contaminated hamburger and other food safety issues that, in print and online, spotlighted defects in federal regulation and led to improved practices.
Local Reporting - Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Awarded for her penetrating reports on the fraud and abuse in a child-care program for low-wage working parents that fleeced taxpayers and imperiled children, resulting in a state and federal crackdown on providers.
National Reporting - Matt Richtel and members of The New York Times Staff. Awarded for incisive work, in print and online, on the hazardous use of cell phones, computers and other devices while operating cars and trucks, stimulating widespread efforts to curb distracted driving.
International Reporting - Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post. Awarded for his rich, beautifully written series on Iraq as the United States departs and its people and leaders struggle to deal with the legacy of war and to shape the nation’s future.
Feature Writing - Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post. Awarded for his haunting story about parents, from varying walks of life, who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.
Commentary - Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post. Awarded for her perceptive, often witty columns on an array of political and moral issues, gracefully sharing the experiences and values that lead her to unpredictable conclusions.
Criticism - Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post. Awarded for her refreshingly imaginative approach to dance criticism, illuminating a range of issues and topics with provocative comments and original insights.
Editorial Writing - Tod Robberson, Colleen McCain Nelson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News. Awarded for their relentless editorials deploring the stark social and economic disparity between the city’s better-off northern half and distressed southern half.
Editorial Cartooning - Mark Fiore, self syndicated, appearing on SFGate.com. Awarded for his animated cartoons appearing on SFGate.com, the San Francisco Chronicle Web site, where his biting wit, extensive research and ability to distill complex issues set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary.
Breaking News Photography - Mary Chind of The Des Moines Register. Awarded for her photograph of the heart-stopping moment when a rescuer dangling in a makeshift harness tries to save a woman trapped in the foaming water beneath a dam.
Feature Photography - Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post. Awarded for his intimate portrait of a teenager who joins the Army at the height of insurgent violence in Iraq, poignantly searching for meaning and manhood.
Letters, Drama and Music
Fiction - Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press). A powerful celebration of life in which a New England father and son, through suffering and joy, transcend their imprisoning lives and offer new ways of perceiving the world and mortality.
Drama -
Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. A powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals.
History -
Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press). A compelling account of how four powerful bankers played crucial roles in triggering the Great Depression and ultimately transforming the United States into the world’s financial leader.
Biography -
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf). A penetrating portrait of a complex, self-made titan who revolutionized transportation, amassed vast wealth and shaped the economic world in ways still felt today.
Poetry -
Versed by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press). A book striking for its wit and linguistic inventiveness, offering poems that are often little thought-bombs detonating in the mind long after the first reading.
General Nonfiction -
The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday). A well documented narrative that examines the terrifying doomsday competition between two superpowers and how weapons of mass destruction still imperil humankind. A deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity .
Music - Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon (Lawdon Press)
Special Citations
Hank Williams A posthumous special citation to Hank Williams for his craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.
posted by WalterMitty at 1:13 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]