Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prizes ( PULL-it-sər) are 23 annual American awards for achievements in "journalism, arts and letters", administered by Columbia University in New York City. They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American immigrant and newspaper publisher whose bequest also founded and endowed the Columbia School of Journalism. First awarded in June 1917, they remain among the most prestigious national honors for American journalism. The prizes are awarded each spring following recommendations from the Pulitzer Prize Board, whose voting membership consists mainly of leading journalists and news executives, along with academics and figures in the arts; the dean of the Columbia journalism school and the administrator of the prizes serve as non-voting members. Fifteen of the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded for journalism, and eight for achievements in books, drama, and music. Three finalists are named for each award. All categories are initially juried; the juries nominate the finalists, from which the board selects a winner. The board also has the discretion to move entries between categories or to decline to grant an award in a category. Each award carries with it a certificate and a monetary prize of $15,000, except in the Public Service category, in which the winning news organization receives a gold medal. The value of the monetary award has changed over the history of the prizes; it was increased from $10,000 to $15,000 beginning with the 2017 awards.