The Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition.  It was established by the publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University.  In Pulitzer's will, he gave money to Columbia University to start a journalism school and establish the award.  $250,000 was allocated to the prize and scholarships.  Pulitzer specified "four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one in education, and four traveling scholarships."  After his death, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June, 4, 1917.  However, the prizes are now announced in April.  Many more categories were introduced over the years such as, public service, criticism, and local reporting, and there are now a total of 21 categories.  In all categories, except public service, receives a certificate and a $10,000 cash award.  The prize for the public service category is a gold medal.  

The Pulitzer Prize does not automatically evaluate all applicable works in the media, but only those that have been entered with a $50 entry fee (one per desired entry category). Entries must fit in at least one of the specific prize categories, and cannot simply gain entrance on the grounds of having general literary or compositional properties. Works can also only be entered into a maximum of two prize categories, regardless of their properties.

Each year, 102 judges are selected to "serve on 20 separate juries" for the 21 award categories (1 jury for both photography awards). Most of the juries consist of five members, except for those of "public service, investigative reporting, beat reporting, feature writing and commentary categories", which have seven members.  For each award category, a jury makes three nominations. The board selects the winner by majority vote from the nominations or bypasses the nominations and selects a different entry with a 75% majority vote. The board can also vote no award. The board gets no compensation for its work. The jurors in letters, music, and drama get a $2000 honorarium for the year, while each chair gets $2500.

The 19-member board consists mostly of major newspaper editors and executives, along with four academics including the president of Columbia University and the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The administrator and the dean cannot vote. The board elects its own members for a three-year term (excluding the dean and the administrator). Members of the board and the juries are selected with close attention "given to professional excellence and affiliation, as well as diversity in terms of gender, ethnic background, geographical distribution and size of newspaper." Each year, the chair rotates to the most senior member. The board presides over the judging process and makes all decisions related to the Pulitzer Prize administration.  

 In 2011, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to Bruce Norris for his play, Clybourne Park.  The play was described as "a powerful work whose memorable characters speak in witty and perceptive ways to America's sometimes toxic struggle with race and class consciousness" on the Pulitzer Prize website.  Bruce Norris is an American actor and playwright associated with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago.  

Amy Ellis Nutt won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2011 for her story of the mysterious sinking of a commerical fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean that drowned six men.  The first chapter of her work can be found here http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/9151.