2021 Pulitzer Prize

The '''2021 Pulitzer Prizes''' were awarded by the [[Pulitzer Prize]] Board for work during the 2020 calendar year on June 11, 2021.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Katie |title=Pulitzer Prizes Focus on Coverage of Pandemic and Law Enforcement |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/business/media/pulitzer-prizes.html |access-date=June 11, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Poynter">{{cite news |last1=LaForme |first1=Ren |title=Here are the winners of the 2021 Pulitzer Prizes |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2021/pulitzer-prize-winners-2021/ |access-date=June 11, 2021 |work=[[Poynter]] |date=June 11, 2021}}</ref> The awards highlighted coverage of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], [[2020–2021 United States racial unrest|racial unrest]], and [[2020 in the United States|other major stories in the U.S. that year]].<ref name="NYT" /> Several publications, including ''[[The Atlantic]]'' and ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'', received their first Pulitzers.<ref name="NYT" />

==Prizes== Winners and finalists for the prizes are listed below, with the winners marked in '''bold'''.

===Journalism=== {| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Public Service|Public Service]] |- |'''''[[The New York Times]]''''', "for courageous, prescient and sweeping coverage of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]] that exposed racial and economic inequities, government failures in the U.S. and beyond, and filled a data vacuum that helped local governments, healthcare providers, businesses and individuals to be better prepared and protected."<ref name = PublicService>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/204|title = Public Service|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |[[ProPublica]], "for aggressive, insightful and influential coverage of the coronavirus pandemic that repeatedly exposed flaws and shortcomings in the ways federal and state agencies and corporate America handled the crisis, prompting fast government response."<ref name = PublicService/> |- |''[[The Courier-Journal]]'', "for its unflinching, comprehensive and impactful coverage of the [[killing of Breonna Taylor]] and the legacy of systemic racism in the police force and other civic institutions in Louisville, which helped to spur important reforms."<ref name="PublicService"/> |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting|Breaking News Reporting]] |- |'''Staff of ''[[Star Tribune|The Star Tribune]]''''', "for its urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage of the [[Murder of George Floyd|death of George Floyd]] at the hands of police in Minneapolis and of the reverberations that followed."<ref name = BNR>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/205|title = Breaking News|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |[[Helen Branswell]], Andrew Joseph, and [[Sharon Begley]] of ''[[Stat (website)|Stat]]'', "for their prescient, expert and accessible coverage of the emergence of COVID-19, sounding the alarm on the potential spread and potency of the virus."<ref name="BNR"/> |- |Staff of ''The Courier-Journal'' "for exclusive coverage that contradicted police narratives in the killing of Breonna Taylor, and for its sensitive and innovative coverage of the aftermath".<ref name="BNR"/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting|Investigative Reporting]] |- |'''Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthy of ''[[The Boston Globe]]''''', "for reporting that uncovered a systematic failure by state governments to share information about dangerous truck drivers that could have kept them off the road, prompting immediate reforms."<ref name="IR">{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/206|title = Investigative Reporting|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Dake Kang and the staff of the [[Associated Press]] "for a penetrating investigation of China's state secrecy and its fatal consequences, reflected in the country’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak and in human rights abuses against the Uighurs."<ref name="IR"/> |- |Maggie Marson and Robin McDowell of the Associated Press, "for their compelling examination of the abusive practices of international palm oil producers, including forced labor targeting women and children, culminating in congressional oversight and an import ban."<ref name="IR"/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting|Explanatory Reporting]] |- |'''Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell, and Jackie Botts of [[Reuters]]''', "for an exhaustive examination, powered by a pioneering data analysis of U.S. federal court cases, of the obscure legal doctrine of “qualified immunity" and how it shields police who use excessive force from prosecution."<ref name="ER">{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/207|title = Explanatory Reporting|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |'''[[Ed Yong]] of ''[[The Atlantic]]''''' "for a series of lucid, definitive pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic that anticipated the course of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the country faced, illuminated the U.S. government’s failures and provided clear and accessible context for the scientific and human challenges it posed."<ref name="ER"/> |- |- |[[Megha Rajagopalan]], [[Alison Killing]] and [[Christo Buschek]] of ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'', "for a series of clear and compelling stories that used satellite imagery and architectural expertise, as well as interviews with two dozen former prisoners, to identify a vast new infrastructure built by the Chinese government for the [[Xinjiang internment camps|mass detention of Muslims]]." ''(Moved to the International Reporting category, where it was also entered and ultimately won in)''<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/megha-rajagopalan-alison-killing-and-christo-buschek-buzzfeed-news|title = Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek of BuzzFeed News|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting|Local Reporting]] |- |'''Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of ''[[Tampa Bay Times|The Tampa Bay Times]]''''', "for resourceful, creative reporting that exposed how a powerful and politically connected sheriff built a secretive intelligence operation that harassed residents and used grades and child welfare records to profile schoolchildren."<ref name="LR">{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/208|title = Local Reporting|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', "for exposing failures in Los Angeles County’s safety-net healthcare system that resulted in months-long wait times for patients, including some who died before getting appointments with specialists."<ref name="LR"/> |- |Staff of ''[[The Post and Courier]]'', "for an ambitious look at how water levels in the city were rising faster than previously thought that also explored the broader social, environmental and regulatory challenges posed by climate change."<ref name="LR"/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting|National Reporting]] |- |'''Staffs of [[The Marshall Project]], [[List of Advance subsidiaries|AL.com]], ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'', and the [[Invisible Institute]]''', "for a year-long investigation of K-9 units and the damage that police dogs inflict on Americans, including innocent citizens and police officers, prompting numerous statewide reforms."<ref name="NR">{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/209|title = National Reporting|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staff of ''The New York Times'', "for detailed reporting on how the Trump administration consistently failed to respond properly or adequately to the coronavirus threat, including downplaying its seriousness."<ref name="NR"/> |- |Staff of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' "for its series of stories documenting how nursing home residents were hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, partially because of improper decisions made by government officials."<ref name="NR"/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting|International Reporting]] |- |'''Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek of ''BuzzFeed News''''', "for a series of clear and compelling stories that used satellite imagery and architectural expertise, as well as interviews with two dozen former prisoners, to identify a vast new infrastructure built by the Chinese government for the [[Xinjiang internment camps|mass detention of Muslims]]." ''(Moved from the Explanatory Reporting category, where it was also entered and nominated)''<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/210|title = International Reporting|website = [[The Pulitzer Prizes|Pulitzer Prize]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''BuzzFeed News'' and the [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]], "for [[FinCEN Files|a massive reporting project]] that yielded sweeping revelations about the ongoing role of some of the world’s biggest banks in facilitating international money laundering and the trafficking of goods and people, corruption that continues to frustrate regulators across the world".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/buzzfeed-news-and-international-consortium-investigative-journalists-washington-dc|title = BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Washington, D.C.|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staff of ''The New York Times'', "for a masterful synthesis of stellar writing, powerful images and engaging interactives that illustrated how the world was unprepared for a fast-moving global pandemic — and failed to contain it".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-new-york-times-1|title = Staff of The New York Times|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staff of ''The Wall Street Journal'', "for an authoritative and deeply reported portrait of China’s nationalist leader [[Xi Jinping]] and his increasingly authoritarian control of the state, its economy, and politics, conducted even after the news organization was [[Sick man of Asia#2020 Wall Street Journal article|expelled from the country]]".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-wall-street-journal-1|title = Staff of The Wall Street Journal|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing|Feature Writing]] |- |'''[[Mitchell S. Jackson]], freelance contributor for ''[[Runner's World]]''''', "for a deeply affecting account of the [[Murder of Ahmaud Arbery|killing of Ahmaud Arbery]] that combined vivid writing, thorough reporting and personal experience to shed light on systemic racism in America."<ref name="FW">{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/211|title = Feature Writing|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |'''[[Nadja Drost]], freelance contributor for ''[[The California Sunday Magazine]]''''', "for a brave and gripping account of global migration that documents a group’s journey on foot through the [[Darién Gap]], one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world."<ref name="FW"/> |- |Greg Jaffe of ''The Washington Post'', "for deeply reported stories that powerfully depict the suffering and dislocation endured by Americans who lost their jobs after the sudden collapse of South Florida’s tourist economy in the pandemic."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/greg-jaffe-washington-post0|title = Greg Jeffe of The Washington Post|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Commentary|Commentary]] |- |'''[[Michael Paul Williams]] of the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]''''', "for penetrating and historically insightful columns that guided [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], a former capital of [[Confederate States of America|the Confederacy]], through the painful and complicated process of dismantling the city's monuments to white supremacy."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/212|title = Commentary|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Melinda Henneberger of ''[[The Kansas City Star]]'', "for tenacious and deeply reported columns on failures in the criminal justice system, forcefully arguing how systemic problems and abuses affect the larger community."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/melinda-henneberger-kansas-city-star-1e|title =Melinda Henneberger of The Kansas City Star|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Roy S. Johnson of Alabama Media Group, "for evocative columns on race and remembrance written with style, urgency, and moral clarity."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/roy-s-johnson-alabama-media-group-birmingham|title = Roy S. Johnson of Alabama Media Group, Birmingham|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism|Criticism]] |- |'''[[Wesley Morris]] of ''The New York Times''''', "for unrelentingly relevant and deeply engaged criticism on the intersection of race and culture in America, written in a singular style, alternately playful and profound."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/213|title = Criticism|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Craig Jenkins of [[New York (magazine)|''New York'' magazine]], "for writing on a range of popular topics, including social media, music and comedy, contending with the year’s disarray and exploring how culture and conversation can both flourish and break down online".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/craig-jenkins-new-york-magazine|title =Craig Jenkins of New York magazine|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Mark Swed of the ''Los Angeles Times'', "for a series of critical essays that broke through the silence of the pandemic to recommend an eclectic array of recordings as entertainment and solace essential to the moment, drawing deep connections to seven centuries of classical music".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/mark-swed-los-angeles-times|title =Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing|Editorial Writing]] |- |'''Robert Greene of the ''Los Angeles Times''''', "for editorials on policing, bail reform, prisons and mental health that clearly and holistically examined the Los Angeles criminal justice system."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/214|title = Editorial Writing|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Alan Wirzbicki and Rachelle G. Cohen of ''The Boston Globe'', "for editorials that addressed a controversial local zoning fight, centering the legacy of restrictive housing laws in America’s ongoing conversation about equity, inclusion and opportunity".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/alan-wirzbicki-and-rachelle-g-cohen-boston-globe|title =Alan Wirzbicki and Rachelle G. Cohen of The Boston Globe|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Lee Hockstader of ''The Washington Post'', "for a series of editorials that pushed for accountability in the shooting and killing of an unarmed man by U.S. Park Police three years earlier".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/lee-hockstader-washington-post|title =Lee Hockstader of The Washington Post|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography|Breaking News Photography]] |- |'''Photography Staff of the Associated Press''', "for a collection of photographs from multiple U.S. cities that cohesively captures the country's response to the death of [[George Floyd]]."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/216|title = Breaking News Photography|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Hassan Ammar, Hussein Malla and [[Felipe Dana]] of Associated Press, "for a series of images documenting the uncertainty and devastation following [[2020 Beirut explosion|a seaport blast that rocked Beirut]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|title=Photography Pulitzer 2021 Finalists|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/hassan-ammar-hussein-malla-and-felipe-dana-associated-press|url-status=live|access-date=June 11, 2021|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611210412/https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/hassan-ammar-hussein-malla-and-felipe-dana-associated-press |archive-date=June 11, 2021 }}</ref> |- |Joshua Irwandi of ''[[National Geographic]]'', "for a starkly haunting photograph of a solitary coronavirus victim in an Indonesian hospital, wrapped in plastic and awaiting a body bag."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Photography Pulitzer 2021 Finalists|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/joshua-irwandi-freelance-photographer-national-geographic|url-status=live|access-date=June 11, 2021|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611210422/https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/joshua-irwandi-freelance-photographer-national-geographic |archive-date=June 11, 2021 }}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography|Feature Photography]] |- |'''[[Emilio Morenatti]] of the Associated Press''', "for a poignant series of photographs that takes viewers into the lives of the elderly in Spain struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/217|title = Feature Photography|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staff of [[Getty Images]], "for thorough coverage of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global community."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pulitzer 2021 Feature Photography|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-getty-images|url-status=live|access-date=June 11, 2021|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611185048/https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-getty-images |archive-date=June 11, 2021 }}</ref> |- |[[Tyler Hicks]] of ''The New York Times'', "for searing images that capture the toll of the coronavirus deep in Brazil’s Amazon, and how it ravaged the region’s indigenous people."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pulitzer 2021|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/tyler-hicks-new-york-times|url-status=live|access-date=June 11, 2021|website=www.pulitzer.org|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611210410/https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/tyler-hicks-new-york-times |archive-date=June 11, 2021 }}</ref> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting|Audio Reporting]] |- |'''Lisa Hagen, Chris Haxel, Graham Smith and Robert Little of [[NPR]]''', "for an investigative series on 'no compromise' [[Gun politics in the United States|gun rights activists]] that illuminated the profound differences and deepening schism between American conservatives."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/631|title = Audio Reporting|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staff for National Public Radio, "for courageous on-the-ground reporting on [[Assassination of Qasem Soleimani|the assassination]] of Iranian General [[Qasem Soleimani]] and its implications around the globe.".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staff-national-public-radio|title = Staff of National Public Radio|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |Staffs of the [[Invisible Institute]], ''[[The Intercept]]'', and Topic Studios, "for ''[[Somebody (podcast)|Somebody]]'', a dogged and searing investigation of the murder of a young Black man in Chicago and the institutional indifference surrounding it."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/staffs-invisible-institute-chicago-intercept-and-topic-studios|title = Staffs of the Invisible Institute, Chicago; The Intercept and Topic Studios|website = Pulitzer Prize|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |}

===Letters, Drama, and Music=== {| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama|Drama]] |- |'''''[[The Hot Wing King]]''''' by [[Katori Hall]], "a funny, deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived, filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competition."<ref name = Drama>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/218|title = Drama|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''[[Circle Jerk (play)|Circle Jerk]]'' by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, "a contemporary satire featuring outrageous situations and language repurposed from the internet to skewer online culture and question what identities we have permission to claim."<ref name = Drama/> |- |''Stew'' by [[Zora Howard]], "an intimate, tightly constructed drama about three generations of Black women over the course of one day, and the violence they are forced to live with, absorb and attempt to overcome."<ref name = Drama/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Music|Music]] |- |'''''[[Stride (composition)|Stride]]''''' by [[Tania León]], "a musical journey full of surprise, with powerful brass and rhythmic motifs that incorporate Black music traditions from the US and the Caribbean into a Western orchestral fabric."<ref name = Music>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/225|title = Music|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''[[Data Lords]]'' by [[Maria Schneider (musician)|Maria Schneider]], "an enveloping musical landscape of light and shadow, rendered by the many personalities of a large jazz ensemble, reflecting the promise of a digital paradise contrasted by a concentration of power and the loss of privacy."<ref name = Music/> |- |''Place'' by [[Ted Hearne]], "a brave and powerful work, marked by effective vocal writing and multiple musical genres, that confronts issues of gentrification and displacement in [[Fort Greene, Brooklyn]]."<ref name = Music/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for History|History]] |- |'''''Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America''''' by [[Marcia Chatelain]], "a nuanced account of the complicated role the fast-food industry plays in African-American communities, a portrait of race and capitalism that masterfully illustrates how the fight for civil rights has been intertwined with the fate of Black businesses."<ref name = History>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/220|title = History|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States'' by [[Eric Cervini]], "a painstakingly researched and engagingly written study of the pre-[[Stonewall riots|Stonewall]] fight for gay rights in America, told through the life and unprecedented legal efforts of astronomer [[Franklin Edward Kameny]]."<ref name = History/> |- |''The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West'' by Megan Kate Nelson, "a lively and well-crafted Civil War narrative that expands understanding of the conflict’s Western theaters, where pivotal struggles for land, resources and influence presaged the direction of the country as a whole."<ref name = History/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry|Poetry]] |- |'''''Postcolonial Love Poem''''' by [[Natalie Diaz]], "a collection of tender, heart-wrenching and defiant poems that explore what it means to love and be loved in an America beset by conflict."<ref name = Poetry>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/224|title = Poetry|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''A Treatise on Stars'' by [[Mei-mei Berssenbrugge]], "a book of meditative and expansive poems that illuminate the interconnectedness of life forms and the spirituality of our natural environment."<ref name = Poetry/> |- |''In the Lateness of the World'' by [[Carolyn Forché]]: "narrative lyrics resonant with imagery of beauty and horror that transcend the personal to offer a larger vision of our global condition."<ref name = Poetry/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction|General Nonfiction]] |- |'''''Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy''''' by [[David Zucchino]], "a gripping account of the [[Wilmington insurrection of 1898|overthrow]] of the elected government of a Black-majority North Carolina city after Reconstruction that untangles a complicated set of power dynamics cutting across race, class and gender."<ref name = GN>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/223|title = General Nonfiction|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''[[Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning]]'' by [[Cathy Park Hong]]<ref name = GN/> |- |''Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country,'' by Sierra Crane Murdoch<ref name = GN/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography|Biography]] |- |'''''[[The Dead Are Arising|The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X]]''''' by [[Les Payne]] and Tamara Payne, "a powerful and revelatory account of the civil rights activist, built from dozens of interviews, offering insight into his character, beliefs and the forces that shaped him."<ref name = Bio>{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/222|title = Biography|website = [[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]]|accessdate = June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- | ''Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of [[Sylvia Plath]]'', by Heather Clark, "a profoundly researched and illuminating portrait of the influential poet whose life and art mirrored the intellectual, political and sexual awakenings of the era."<ref name = Bio/> |- | ''Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Japanese Woman and Her World'' by [[Amy Stanley]], "an exquisitely written profile of a 19th century Japanese woman, reconstructed from hundreds of documents, that captures not only the arc of one life, but the society of the Edo period in transition."<ref name = Bio/> |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; float:none;" |- ! [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction|Fiction]] |- |'''''[[The Night Watchman (novel)|The Night Watchman]]''''' by [[Louise Erdrich]], "a majestic, polyphonic novel about a community’s efforts to halt the proposed displacement and elimination of several Native American tribes in the 1950s, rendered with dexterity and imagination."<ref name = Fiction>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2021|title=2021 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists|website=The Pulitzer Prizes (pulitzer.org) |access-date=June 11, 2021}}</ref> |- |''A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth'' by [[Daniel Mason]], "a collection of stories with themes of class division, the artist's role in society and our need for love and belonging, reflecting a prowess with language and a mastery of the short form."<ref name = Fiction/> |- |''[[Telephone (novel)|Telephone]]'' by [[Percival Everett]], "a novel of narrative ingenuity that includes both a heartbreaking illness and a crime story in its exploration of discontent, loss and the possibility of redemption."<ref name = Fiction/> |- |}

==Special Citations == A Special Citation was awarded to [[Darnella Frazier]], "for courageously recording the murder of [[George Floyd]], a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year|title=2021 Pulitzer Prizes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/pulitzers-award-darnella-frazier-a-special-citation-for-recording-the-murder-of-george-floyd/|title=Pulitzers award Darnella Frazier a special citation for recording the murder of George Floyd}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulitzer Prize, 2021}} [[Category:Pulitzer Prizes by year|2021]] [[Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] [[Category:2021 literary awards]] [[Category:2021 awards in the United States]] [[Category:2021 music awards]] [[Category:June 2021 in the United States]]