The Pulitzer Prize is an American journalism award regarded as the most prestigious distinction in news, the arts, and literature. Since it was first awarded in 1917, the number of categories has expanded considerably over the years.
Today, prizes are awarded in 21 different fields, including photography since 1942. In 1968, the photography category was divided into two separate awards: Feature Photography and Breaking News Photography.
The prize is named after Hungarian-born Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911). In 1864, Pulitzer emigrated to the United States to fight in the Civil War. He then began his career in journalism and soon became known for his sensational style of reporting. As publisher of the New York World, he focused on covering corruption and similar scandals. This gave rise to the term ‘yellow journalism,’ while the New York World quickly grew into the largest newspaper in the United States.
Pulitzer considered it very important to bring ‘the truth’ to light in a professional manner. This was one reason he championed university-level education for journalists. He also believed that a prize would encourage journalists to produce exceptional work. Pulitzer offered money to the university of Columbia to put the plan into practice, leading to an agreement in 1902. Even so, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism was not founded until 1912. The first Pulitzer Prize was awarded five years later.
Produced by Maarten Huisman
