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The best of the best has been revealed.
The Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced for 2026 across Journalism, Books, Drama and Music, which means we now have a shortlist of exceptional books, poetry and journalism to read and music to listen to.
The board, which judged this year’s applicants, included leaders from publications like The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Propublica and The New Yorker, as well as universities such as Columbia, Harvard, Arizona State and more.
You can watch the official announcement here:
But we’ve broken down every Pulitzer Prize winner for 2026 below and what they won for, according to the panel. You'll want to click on the following links for more information about the winners and where you can find them.
Books, Drama & Music
Fiction: Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
“A breathless novel of World War I, a stylistic tour-de-force that blends such genres as allegory, magical realism and science fiction into a cohesive whole, told in a single sentence.”
Drama: Liberation by Bess Wohl
“A striking blend of comedy and sincerity that explores the legacy of the consciousness-raising feminist groups of the 1970s, using the story of the playwright’s mother to demonstrate how the movement grew out of conversation, and that anyone experiencing the play has joined the discussion.”
History: We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepor
“A lively and engaging narrative that investigates why the Constitution is so difficult to amend, including a review of noteworthy failed amendments proposed by marginalized groups.”
Biography: Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill
“A lively and detailed biography of two daughters of wealthy and influential Dutch landowners who colored our nation’s history, using present tense to tell their story and past tense to chronicle the dramatic sweep of the American Revolution.”
Memoir/Autobiography: Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
“A writer’s deeply moving and revelatory account of losing her younger son to suicide a little more than six years after her older son died in the same manner, an austere and defiant memoir of acceptance that focuses on facts, language and the persistence of life.”
Poetry: Ars Poeticas by Juliana Spahr
“A collection in which the poet takes stock of her personal disillusionment, which she uses to interrogate her relationship to her art form, community and politics.”
General Nonfiction: There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone
“A feat of reportage, analysis and storytelling focusing on the issues that have created a national crisis of family homelessness among the so-called working poor.”
Music: Picaflor: A Future Myth by Gabriela Lena Frank
“Premiered on March 13, 2025 at Marian Anderson Hall, Philadelphia, a modern symphonic work informed by the composer’s personal experiences with California wildfires and Andean legend, 10 powerful movements that follow a hummingbird through its attempts to escape cataclysms, a contemplation of the fragile future.”
Journalism
Public Service: Staff of The Washington Post
“For piercing the veil of secrecy around the Trump administration's chaotic overhaul of federal agencies and chronicling in rich detail the human impacts of the cuts and the consequences for the country.”
Breaking News Reporting: Staff of The Minnesota Star Tribune
“For its coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 17 wounded, powerful stories marked by thoroughness and compassion.”
Investigative Reporting: Staff of The New York Times
“For deeply reported stories that exposed how President Trump has shattered constraints on conflicts of interest and exploited the moneymaking opportunities that come with power, enriching his family and allies.”
Explanatory Reporting: Susie Neilson, Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale of the San Francisco Chronicle
“For their series “Burned,” which showed how insurance companies using algorithmic tools have failed Californians who lost their homes to fire by systematically undervaluing their properties, denying claims and making it impossible for them to rebuild.”
Beat Reporting: Jeff Horwitz and Engen Tham of Reuters
“For inventive and revelatory reporting on Meta that detailed the technology company’s willingness to expose users, including children, to scams and AI manipulation.”
Local Reporting: Dave Altimari and Ginny Monk of The Connecticut Mirror and Sophie Chou and Haru Coryne of ProPublica
“For an impressive series exposing how the state’s unique towing laws favored unscrupulous companies that overcharged residents, prompting swift and meaningful consumer protections.”
National Reporting: Staff of Reuters, notably Ned Parker, Linda So, Peter Eisler and Mike Spector
“For documenting how the president used the U.S. government and the influence of his supporters to expand executive power and exact vengeance on his foes.”
International Reporting: Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and Yael Grauer, contributor, of Associated Press
“For an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance, created in Silicon Valley, advanced in China and spreading worldwide before returning to America for secret new uses by the U.S. Border Patrol.”
Feature Writing: Aaron Parsley of Texas Monthly
“For his extraordinary personal account of survival and loss written days after the historic Central Texas floods that tore the writer’s house out from under him and his family, taking the life of his nephew.”
Criticism: Mark Lamster of The Dallas Morning News
“For his rigorous and passionate architecture criticism, using wit and expertise to amplify his opinions and advocate for city residents.”
Opinion: M. Gessen of The New York Times
“For an illuminating collection of reported essays on rising authoritarian regimes that draw on history and personal experience to probe timely themes of oppression, belonging and exile.”
Illustrated Reporting & Commentary: Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, contributors, and Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg
“For ‘trAPPed,’ a riveting account of a neurologist in India held under ‘digital arrest’ by her phone, reporting that uses visuals and words to cast light on the growing global challenges of surveillance and digital scams.”
Breaking News Photography: Saher Alghorra, contributor, The New York Times
“For his haunting, sensitive series showing the devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from the war with Israel.”
Feature Photography: Jahi Chikwendiu of The Washington Post
“For a heart-wrenching and achingly beautiful photo essay on a young family welcoming the birth of their first child as the father is slowly dying from cancer.”
Audio Reporting: Staff of Pablo Torre Finds Out (podcast)
“For a pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism that investigated how the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly evaded the NBA’s salary cap rules by funneling money to a star player through an environmental startup.”
Special Citation: Julie K. Brown
“A special citation is awarded to Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown for her groundbreaking reporting in 2017 and 2018 that exposed Jeffrey Epstein’s systematic abuse of young women, the justice system that protected him, and, over time, his powerful network of associates and enablers. Her ‘Perversion of Justice’ series, published nearly a decade ago, revealed how prosecutors shielded Epstein from federal sex trafficking charges when he was first accused of abusing young women. She went on to document and give voice to the scores of victims who had been groomed and abused by him and others in his circle. Her work, and the release of the government’s Epstein files, continue to reverberate around the world.”