The 2021 Pulitzer Prizes honored outstanding journalism and literary works across various categories. ProPublica was recognized for their reporting on the Supreme Court, while Lookout Santa Cruz received an award for their coverage of a catastrophic flooding event. Hannah Dreier of The New York Times was honored for her investigative work on migrant child labor, and Sarah Stillman of The New Yorker was recognized for her reporting on the felony murder charge.
In local reporting, Sarah Conway and Trina Reynolds-Tyler were awarded for their series on missing Black girls and women in Chicago. The national reporting category had two winners – the staff of Reuters for stories on Elon Musk’s businesses, and the staff of The Washington Post for their examination of the AR-15 rifle. The New York Times won for international reporting on Hamas’ attack in Israel, while Katie Engelhart of The New York Times received an award for her feature writing.
Vladimir Kara-Murza of The Washington Post was recognized for his commentary on dissent in Russia, and Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times won for his film criticism. David E. Hoffman of The Washington Post received an award for his editorial writing on authoritarian regimes and digital repression. In illustrated reporting and commentary, Medar de la Cruz was honored for his work on Rikers Island, while Reuters’ photography staff won for their coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Pulitzer Prizes also recognized audio reporting by the Invisible Institute and USG Audio, and awarded fiction, drama, history, biography, memoir, poetry, and general nonfiction works. Special citations were given to Greg Tate for his influence on hip-hop criticism, and journalists covering the war in Gaza were acknowledged for their dedication to telling the stories of Palestinians. Overall, the 2021 Pulitzer Prizes celebrated excellence in journalism, literature, and music, highlighting the importance of public service and storytelling in capturing the human experience.
