The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on Monday, distributing the awards among major international media outlets and a significant number of local media and investigative organizations.
The Pulitzer Prizes, founded by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in 1917, are considered the highest honor in American journalism.
The Public Service Award went to The Washington Post for its reporting on the Trump administration's restructuring of federal institutions and the consequences these changes have had for citizens and the functioning of the state.
In the breaking news reporting category, the Minnesota Star Tribune team was honored for its coverage of a tragic shooting at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 17 others injured.
Investigative journalism went to The New York Times, which uncovered instances of conflict of interest and financial benefits linked to President Trump and his inner circle.
In explanatory reporting, the San Francisco Chronicle was honored for its series "Burned," which addresses the failures of insurance companies using artificial intelligence after the devastating fires in California.
Reuters won the award for field reporting for its investigations into the Meta platform and how users, including children, are exposed to fraud and manipulation through Artificial Intelligence.
In the local reporting category, there were two winners: the Connecticut Mirror in collaboration with ProPublica, for an investigation into abuses in the car towing industry, and the Chicago Tribune, for its coverage of immigration operations in Chicago.
Reuters was also praised in national reporting for documenting the expansion of executive power and the use of the state for political interests.
In international reporting, the Associated Press was honored for a global investigation into surveillance technologies that were developed in Silicon Valley, used in China, and then expanded to the US.
In the writing category, Texas Monthly was honored for a personal story about surviving the Texas floods, while the criticism award went to the Dallas Morning News for its analysis of architecture and urban life.
M. Gessen of the New York Times won the opinion award for a series of essays on authoritarianism and the dynamics of political power.
In illustrated reporting, Bloomberg was honored for its “trAPPed” project, which tackles digital fraud and surveillance through phones, while the award for breaking news photojournalism went to Saher Alghorra of the New York Times, for a powerful series from Gaza during the war. In cover photography, Jahi Chikwendiu of the Washington Post was honored for a moving story about a family and a parent’s terminal illness.
The audio reporting honored the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out," for an investigation into possible violations of NBA rules regarding salaries and the way payments to a player are structured.
Overall, this year's edition was characterized by a strong emphasis on investigative journalism, political transparency, the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, and the role of local media in holding public accountability.