Pulitzer Prize Winners 2026 (opens in new tab)

(pulitzer.org)

77 pointsbrightbeige20d ago27 comments

27 comments

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.

Love Texas Monthly, this was a tough read after that awful flood incident:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-first...

imustachyou20d ago

Discussion on HN https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44576352

cdrnsf20d ago

> Staff of Pablo Torre Finds Out > 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.

This is still being investigated by the NBA. I'm curious how it'll play out, but it's not a good look for the league.

jebarker20d ago

I’ve been gradually reading prior Pulitzer winners for fiction and I have to say I haven’t hit a bad one yet. Maybe I’ll try and read this years before it’s several decades old.

numbers20d ago

every once in awhile I'm reading a Pulitzer winner (esp. fiction) and at the beginning I'm thinking "how did this win that year?" and then by the end of the book I think "wow, I've never read anything like this before"

ProllyInfamous19d ago

Same – if you've not yet red Confederacy of Dunces it's as applicable as ever.

The bedsheet protest scene is embarassingly relatable and ... I think my pyloric is aching up again.

----

I've only ever started one Pulitzer (non-fiction) that absolutely could not be finished: The Killer Angels (although it was recommended to me by a former soldier who loved it).

dominotw20d ago

i used to read all booker prize nominations and winners. Those were the only fiction i would read.

I feel like all the oganizations have some of directive now to pick social justice theme books. I have no problem with it but i dont want to read books picked with a specific agenda.

> Drama > Liberation, by Bess Wohl explores the legacy of the consciousness-raising feminist groups of the 1970s

rerdavies20d ago

To be honest, I don't think I've ever found Booker Prize Winners that satisfying, for exactly the same reason you put your finger on. Pulitzer's however...!

none258520d ago

I did the same a while ago and completely agree! They're always so good even if it's not necessarily my cup of tea

hglaser20d ago

Once again, a moment of gratitude for the San Francisco Chronicle. In a time when local news is mostly gutted, I'm grateful to live in the rare mid-size city that has a robust local paper. Real investigative reporting, a serious local political beat, and features that win Pulitzer prizes. Plus a great sports section and restaurant critics!

kstrauser20d ago

I completely agree, but… mid sized city? The Chronicle centers around SF but I think of it more like a Bay Area paper. It’s market’s a lot bigger than mid sized city.

orsenthil20d ago

Wow! So much hard work done by these journalists, pursuing truth, facing the pressures of capitalism, and oligarchy in US.

colordrops20d ago

Looks like the Oscars of reporting, mostly awarded to mainstream mouthpieces, ignoring any journalism of real depth that challenges anything outside the overton window.

levocardia20d ago

Who do you think would be deserving of an outside-the-window Pulitzer?

colordrops20d ago

Ryan Grim

stonogo20d ago

He's led Pulitzer-nominated teams before. Not sure this would be the Overton-shifting event you're thinking it would be.

1 more reply

constantius20d ago

For anything to do with Israel, you have to hope for posthumous awards and recognition in 50-100 years, but obviously everyone working on this topic is mostly aware they're doing a bad career decision, but the right thing.

gaws19d ago

> mostly awarded to mainstream mouthpieces

Small newsrooms you've never heard of have a history of winning Pulitzer prizes.

chakintosh20d ago

Journalists were eating well this year with Trump's never-ending scandals. WAPO's entire nominated work is about Epstein Files, some other winners had his money-making scheme off crypto and stock manipulation.

nephihaha20d ago

True, but there are a heck of a lot of issues they are not touching as well. The whole age verification/digital ID thing does not feature although tech surveillance does (and I think these tie in).

morsch20d ago

> WAPO's entire nominated work is about Epstein Files

No, it's not. But it is about Trump: https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/washington-post-4

joeblogsmomma20d ago

Pablo Torre and Julie K. Brown are the only truly deserving winners here. Anyone willing to break down and discuss the Epstein case is a real journalist and both of them have done exactly that. The Times and other major outlets were reticent to cover it, and have since routinely run puff pieces. Riley Walz and the folks at Jmail deserve a lot of credit as well.

joeblogsmomma20d ago

Will say if you haven't checked pablo's clippers saga both hilarious in the way it was covered and that Balmer and Co thought that they could get away with this! Hamburger!!

NeutralCrane20d ago

There is a significant chance they do get away with it.

tolerance20d ago

WaPo gets top billing as winners in the "Public Service" category.

"How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post"

https://archive.ph/Je6AH

Fascinating.

lacker20d ago

The conclusion that "insurance companies using algorithmic tools have failed Californians who lost their homes to fire by systematically undervaluing their properties" seems pretty dubious to me. Everyone is shooting the messenger by getting angry at the insurance companies when fire insurance isn't cheaper. Meanwhile many insurance companies are leaving California entirely.

It isn't the "evil algorithms" at fault here - it's the high risk of fire.

carefulfungi20d ago

The reporting isn't about cost or availability of insurance; it is more about how insurance companies signficantly reduce payouts through a combination of secrecy, coercive practices against adjusters, paying less than standard rates, and not paying for portions of repairs that homeowners should reasonably expect to be covered. It also reported on areas beyond California.

gaws19d ago

Did you read the series?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

27 comments

owlninja20d ago

Love Texas Monthly, this was a tough read after that awful flood incident:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-flood-first...

imustachyou20d ago

Discussion on HN https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44576352

cdrnsf20d ago

This is still being investigated by the NBA. I'm curious how it'll play out, but it's not a good look for the league.

jebarker20d ago

I’ve been gradually reading prior Pulitzer winners for fiction and I have to say I haven’t hit a bad one yet. Maybe I’ll try and read this years before it’s several decades old.

numbers20d ago

ProllyInfamous19d ago

Same – if you've not yet red Confederacy of Dunces it's as applicable as ever.

The bedsheet protest scene is embarassingly relatable and ... I think my pyloric is aching up again.

----

I've only ever started one Pulitzer (non-fiction) that absolutely could not be finished: The Killer Angels (although it was recommended to me by a former soldier who loved it).

dominotw20d ago

i used to read all booker prize nominations and winners. Those were the only fiction i would read.

I feel like all the oganizations have some of directive now to pick social justice theme books. I have no problem with it but i dont want to read books picked with a specific agenda.

> Drama > Liberation, by Bess Wohl explores the legacy of the consciousness-raising feminist groups of the 1970s

rerdavies20d ago

To be honest, I don't think I've ever found Booker Prize Winners that satisfying, for exactly the same reason you put your finger on. Pulitzer's however...!

none258520d ago

I did the same a while ago and completely agree! They're always so good even if it's not necessarily my cup of tea

hglaser20d ago

kstrauser20d ago

I completely agree, but… mid sized city? The Chronicle centers around SF but I think of it more like a Bay Area paper. It’s market’s a lot bigger than mid sized city.

orsenthil20d ago

Wow! So much hard work done by these journalists, pursuing truth, facing the pressures of capitalism, and oligarchy in US.

colordrops20d ago

Looks like the Oscars of reporting, mostly awarded to mainstream mouthpieces, ignoring any journalism of real depth that challenges anything outside the overton window.

levocardia20d ago

Who do you think would be deserving of an outside-the-window Pulitzer?

colordrops20d ago

Ryan Grim

stonogo20d ago

He's led Pulitzer-nominated teams before. Not sure this would be the Overton-shifting event you're thinking it would be.

1 more reply

constantius20d ago

gaws19d ago

> mostly awarded to mainstream mouthpieces

Small newsrooms you've never heard of have a history of winning Pulitzer prizes.

chakintosh20d ago

nephihaha20d ago

True, but there are a heck of a lot of issues they are not touching as well. The whole age verification/digital ID thing does not feature although tech surveillance does (and I think these tie in).

morsch20d ago

> WAPO's entire nominated work is about Epstein Files

No, it's not. But it is about Trump: https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/washington-post-4

joeblogsmomma20d ago

Will say if you haven't checked pablo's clippers saga both hilarious in the way it was covered and that Balmer and Co thought that they could get away with this! Hamburger!!

NeutralCrane20d ago

There is a significant chance they do get away with it.

tolerance20d ago

WaPo gets top billing as winners in the "Public Service" category.

"How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post"

https://archive.ph/Je6AH

Fascinating.

lacker20d ago

It isn't the "evil algorithms" at fault here - it's the high risk of fire.

carefulfungi20d ago

gaws19d ago

Did you read the series?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse