Awards & Winners

Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing

Pulitzer Prize

Check all the winners of Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing presented under Pulitzer Prize since 1979 .


Nominations 2014 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Scott Farwell
For his story about a young woman's struggle to live a normal life after years of ghastly child abuse, an examination of human resilience in the face of depravity.
Christopher Goffard
For his account of an ex-police officer\u2019s nine-day killing spree in Southern California, notable for its pacing, character development and rich detail.
Mark Johnson
For his meticulously told tale about a group of first-year medical students in their gross anatomy class and the relationships they develop with one another and the nameless corpse on the table, an account enhanced by multimedia elements.

John Branch

(For his evocative narrative about skiers killed in an avalanche and the science that explains such disasters, a project enhanced by its deft integration of multimedia elements.)

Nominations 2013 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Branch
For his evocative narrative about skiers killed in an avalanche and the science that explains such disasters, a project enhanced by its deft integration of multimedia elements.
Kelley Benham
For her searing personal account of the survival of her premature baby, born barely viable at 1 pound, 4 ounces, and her exploration of the costs and ethics of extreme medical intervention.
Eli Saslow
For his moving portrait of a struggling swimming pool salesman that illustrates the daily emotional toll of the nation\u2019s economic downturn.

Eli Sanders

(For his haunting story of a woman who survived a brutal attack that took the life of her partner, using the woman\u2019s brave courtroom testimony and the details of the crime to construct a moving narrative.)

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Eli Sanders
For his haunting story of a woman who survived a brutal attack that took the life of her partner, using the woman\u2019s brave courtroom testimony and the details of the crime to construct a moving narrative.
John Branch
For his deeply reported story of Derek Boogaard, a professional hockey player valued for his brawling, whose tragic story shed light on a popular sport\u2019s disturbing embrace of potentially brain-damaging violence.
Corinne Reilly
For her inspiring stories that bring the reader side-by-side with the medical professionals seeking to save the lives of gravely injured American soldiers at a combat hospital in Afghanistan.

Amy Ellis Nutt

(For her deeply probing story of the mysterious sinking of a commercial fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean that drowned six men.)

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Amy Ellis Nutt
For her deeply probing story of the mysterious sinking of a commercial fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean that drowned six men.
Tony Bartelme
For his engaging account of a South Carolina neurosurgeon\u2019s quest to teach brain surgery in Tanzania, possibly providing a new model for health care in developing countries.
Michael M. Phillips
For his portfolio of deftly written stories that provide war-weary readers with fresh perspective on the conflict in Afghanistan.

Gene Weingarten

(For his haunting story about parents, from varying walks of life, who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.)

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Gene Weingarten
For his haunting story about parents, from varying walks of life, who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.
Dan Barry
For his portfolio of closely observed pieces that movingly capture how the great recession is changing lives and relationships in America.
Sheri Fink
For a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital\u2019s exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina.

Lane DeGregory

(For 'The Girl in the Window,' her moving, richly detailed story of a neglected little girl, found in a roach-infested room, unable to talk or feed herself, who was adopted by a new family committed to her nurturing.)

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Lane DeGregory
For 'The Girl in the Window,' her moving, richly detailed story of a neglected little girl, found in a roach-infested room, unable to talk or feed herself, who was adopted by a new family committed to her nurturing.
Amy Ellis Nutt
For her poignant, deeply reported story of a chiropractor who suffered a severe stroke following brain surgery and became a wildly creative artist, in many ways estranged from his former self.
John Barry
For his concise, captivating story about a rescued baby dolphin that needed a new tail and became a famous survivor, illuminating the mysterious connection between human beings and animals.
Diane Suchetka
For her harrowing tale of a mechanic whose arms were reattached after being severed in an accident, a disciplined narrative that takes readers on the man\u2019s painful personal and physical journey to recover.

Gene Weingarten

(For his chronicling of a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters.)

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Gene Weingarten
For his chronicling of a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters.
Thomas Curwen
For his vivid account of a grizzly bear attack and the recovery of the two victims.
Kevin Vaughan
For his sensitive retelling of a school bus and train collision at a rural crossing in 1961 that killed 20 children.

Andrea Elliott

(For her intimate, richly textured portrait of an immigrant imam striving to find his way and serve his faithful in America.)

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Andrea Elliott
For her intimate, richly textured portrait of an immigrant imam striving to find his way and serve his faithful in America.
Christopher Goffard
For his fresh and compelling stories about a young public defender and his daily challenges.
Inara Verzemnieks
For her witty and perceptive portfolio of features on an array of everyday topics.

Jim Sheeler

(For his poignant story on a Marine major who helps the families of comrades killed in Iraq cope with their loss and honor their sacrifice.)

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jim Sheeler
For his poignant story on a Marine major who helps the families of comrades killed in Iraq cope with their loss and honor their sacrifice.
Dan Barry
For his rich portfolio of pieces capturing slices of life in hurricane-battered New Orleans as well as his own New York City.
Mary Schmich
For her intimate and compelling story about a federal judge whose husband and mother were murdered by an angry former plaintiff.

Julia Keller

(For her gripping, meticulously reconstructed account of a deadly 10-second tornado that ripped through Utica, Illinois.)

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Julia Keller
For her gripping, meticulously reconstructed account of a deadly 10-second tornado that ripped through Utica, Illinois.
Robin Gaby Fisher
For her exhaustive look inside the lives of students at an alternative high school, shattering stereotypes and delineating memorable characters.
Anne Hull
For her clear, sensitive, tirelessly reported stories on what it means to be young and gay in modern America.

Sonia Nazario

(For 'Enrique's Journey,' her touching, exhaustively reported story of a Honduran boy's perilous search for his mother who had migrated to the United States.)

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Sonia Nazario
For \"Enrique's Journey,\" her touching, exhaustively reported story of a Honduran boy's perilous search for his mother who had migrated to the United States.
Connie Schultz
For her moving story about a wrongfully convicted man who refused to succumb to anger or bitterness.
David Stabler
For his sensitive, sometimes surprising chronicle of a teenage prodigy's struggle with a musical talent that proved to be both a gift and a problem.

Barry Siegel

(For his humane and haunting portrait of a man tried for negligence in the death of his son, and the judge who heard the case.)

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Barry Siegel
For his humane and haunting portrait of a man tried for negligence in the death of his son, and the judge who heard the case.
Ellen Barry
For her empathetic and illuminating portrait of teenaged Sudanese boys resettled in the U.S. who must engage with American culture.
David Maraniss
For his moving and textured reconstruction of the tragic events of September 11th, described through the actions of several key participants.

Tom Hallman Jr.

(For his poignant profile of a disfigured 14-year old boy who elects to have life-threatening surgery in an effort to improve his appearance.)

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Tom Hallman Jr. The Oregonian
For his poignant profile of a disfigured 14-year old boy who elects to have life-threatening surgery in an effort to improve his appearance.
Robin Gaby Fisher The Star-Ledger
For her inspirational stories that chronicled the care and recovery of two students critically burned in a dormitory fire at Seton Hall University.
Richard E. Meyer Los Angeles Times
For his elegant, insightful portrait of a Tennessee family whose son shot three people at his high school.

J. R. Moehringer

(For his portrait of Gee's Bend, an isolated river community in Alabama where many descendants of slaves live, and how a proposed ferry to the mainland might change it.)

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee Nominated Work
J. R. Moehringer
For his portrait of Gee\u2019s Bend, an isolated river community in Alabama where many descendants of slaves live, and how a proposed ferry to the mainland might change it.
David Finkel
For his moving account of a woman forced to choose between staying with her family in a Macedonian refugee camp, or leaving to marry a man in France.
Anne Hull
For her quietly powerful stories of Mexican women who come to work in North Carolina crab shacks, in pursuit of a better life.

Angelo B. Henderson

(For his portrait of a druggist who is driven to violence by his encounters with armed robbery, illustrating the lasting effects of crime.)

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Angelo B. Henderson
For his portrait of a druggist who is driven to violence by his encounters with armed robbery, illustrating the lasting effects of crime.
Tom Hallman Jr.
For his unique profile of a man struggling to recover from a brain injury.
Eric L. Wee
For his moving account of a Washington lawyer whose collection of postcards helps to preserve his memories of a fleetingly happy childhood.

Thomas French

(For his detailed and compassionate narrative portrait of a mother and two daughters slain on a Florida vacation, and the three-year investigation into their murders.)

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Thomas French
For his detailed and compassionate narrative portrait of a mother and two daughters slain on a Florida vacation, and the three-year investigation into their murders.
J. R. Moehringer
For \"The Champ,\" an extraordinary documentation of a heavyweight boxer's glory days and his fall.
Steve Giegerich
For his startling and original story about a bond that formed between four medical students and the cadaver they studied.

Lisa Pollak

(For her compelling portrait of a baseball umpire who endured the death of a son while knowing that another son suffers from the same deadly genetic disease.)

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Lisa Pollak
For her compelling portrait of a baseball umpire who endured the death of a son while knowing that another son suffers from the same deadly genetic disease.
Jeffrey Fleishman
For his versatile storytelling, notably including an account of the flight of 15 Buddhist monks from Tibet through the Himalayas.
Julia Prodis
For her trio of vivid stories about three teenagers on a deadly journey, a photograph from the Oklahoma City bombing, and a vacuum cleaner that catches prairie dogs.

Rick Bragg

(For his elegantly written stories about contemporary America.)

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Rick Bragg
For his elegantly written stories about contemporary America.
Richard E. Meyer
For \"Buried Alive,\" his chilling profile of a woman's desperate attempts to communicate after being left mute and paralyzed by strokes.
Hank Stuever
For his detailed and highly personal account of returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City after the bombing there.

Ron Suskind

(For his stories about inner-city honor students in Washington, D.C., and their determination to survive and prosper. These articles would later become his first book A Hope in the Unseen)

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Ron Suskind
For his stories about inner-city honor students in Washington, D.C., and their determination to survive and prosper.
David Finkel
For his story examining middle class flight from the District of Columbia, and for two profiles: of a family that watches television 17 hours a day, and of a Rush Limbaugh fan.
Anne Hull
For her account of a local businessman's secret life of drug addiction and consorting with prostitutes.
Fen Montaigne
For stories about people who enjoy the outdoors, especially those with a passion for fishing.

Isabel Wilkerson

(For her profile of a fourth-grader from Chicago's South Side and for two stories reporting on the Midwestern flood of 1993.)

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Isabel Wilkerson
For her profile of a fourth-grader from Chicago's South Side and for two stories reporting on the Midwestern flood of 1993.
April Witt
For their chilling portrait of seven suburban teenagers accused of murdering a friend.
Scott Higham
For their chilling portrait of seven suburban teenagers accused of murdering a friend.
Mark Feeney
For his provocative profile of former President Richard Nixon.

George Lardner Jr.

(For his unflinching examination of his daughter's murder by a violent man who had slipped through the criminal justice system.)

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee Nominated Work
George Lardner Jr.
For his unflinching examination of his daughter's murder by a violent man who had slipped through the criminal justice system.
Hank Stuever
For his lively and vivid reporting of the celebration of a young couple's wedding.
Judith Valente
For her moving story about a family brought together by AIDS.

Howell Raines

(For 'Grady's Gift,' an account of the author's childhood friendship with his family's black housekeeper and the lasting lessons of their relationship.)

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Howell Raines
For 'Grady's Gift,' an account of the author's childhood friendship with his family's black housekeeper and the lasting lessons of their relationship.
Frank Bruni
For his profile of a child molester that challenged many assumptions about sexual abuse.
Sheryl James
For her gripping account of the effort to transplant the organs of a dead boy and turn the tragedy of his death into a gift of life for others.

Sheryl James

(For a compelling series about a mother who abandoned her newborn child and how it affected her life and those of others.)

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Sheryl James
For a compelling series about a mother who abandoned her newborn child and how it affected her life and those of others.
Tad Bartimus
For her moving account of her father's death from lung cancer.
Wil Haygood
For three illuminating portraits of African-American life.

Dave Curtin

(For a gripping account of a family's struggle to recover after its members were severely burned in an explosion that devastated their home.)

Nominations 1990 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Dave Curtin
For a gripping account of a family's struggle to recover after its members were severely burned in an explosion that devastated their home.
Jay Reed
For a poignant series about his return to Vietnam.
Mark Kriegel
For \"The People's Court,\" a detailed account of the game of basketball as it is played on New York City playgrounds.

David Zucchino

(For his richly compelling series, 'Being Black in South Africa.')

Nominations 1989 »

Nominee Nominated Work
David Zucchino
For his richly compelling series, 'Being Black in South Africa.'
Tad Bartimus
For her story about the accidental drowning of three brothers and the effect it had on their small Missouri town.
Bob Ehlert
For his stories about a local priest accused of sexual abuse.
Loretta Tofani
For stories about a heroin addict's pregnancy and the birth of her addicted infant.

Jacqui Banaszynski

(For her moving series about the life and death of an AIDS victim in a rural farm community.)

Nominations 1988 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Jacqui Banaszynski
For her moving series about the life and death of an AIDS victim in a rural farm community.
Lynne Duke
For her powerful story about life at a housing project overrun by the drug crack.
John Dorschner
For richly detailed stories about a violent neighborhood feud, ethnic tensions in the Miami police department and Holocaust survivors in South Florida.

Steve Twomey

(For his illuminating profile of life aboard an aircraft carrier.)

Nominations 1987 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Steve Twomey
For his illuminating profile of life aboard an aircraft carrier.
Michael Connelly
For \"Into the Storm--the Story of Flight 191,\" a sensitive reconstruction of an airplane crash.
Robert McClure
For \"Into the Storm--the Story of Flight 191,\" a sensitive reconstruction of an airplane crash.
Malinda Reink
For \"Into the Storm--the Story of Flight 191,\" a sensitive reconstruction of an airplane crash.
Barry Bearak
For three gracefully written stories dealing respectively with a prison lawsuit, a family murder and an aging stand-up comic.
Alex Jones
For \"The Fall of the House of Bingham,\" a skillful and sensitive report of a powerful newspaper family's bickering and how it led to the sale of a famed media empire.

John Sandford

(For his five-part series examining the life of an American farm family faced with the worst U.S. agricultural crisis since the Depression.)

Nominations 1986 »

Nominee Nominated Work
John Sandford
For his five-part series examining the life of an American farm family faced with the worst U.S. agricultural crisis since the Depression.
David Lee Preston
For his account of how, by means of a trip through Germany and Eastern Europe, he managed to come to terms with his father's experiences in the Holocaust.
Irene Virag
For her elegantly written and sensitive stories about the aspirations and accomplishments of ordinary people.

Alice Steinbach

(For her account of a blind boy's world, 'A Boy of Unusual Vision.')

Nominations 1985 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Alice Steinbach
For her account of a blind boy's world, \"A Boy of Unusual Vision.\"
Scott Kraft
For his story about a family's search for the man who raped their daughter.
Michele Lesie
For her story of Jennifer Brandt, teen-age suicide.

Peter Rinearson

(For Making It Fly, his account of the new Boeing 757 jetliner.)

Nominations 1984 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Peter Rinearson
For \"Making It Fly,\" his account of the new Boeing 757 jetliner.
Charles Bowden
For his stories on illegal immigrants, sexual abuse of children and the deaths of two men.
Jay William Hamburg
For a series documenting the world of a young boxer and his manager.
Nancy Tracy
For her moving account of Meg Casey, a victim of premature aging.

Nan C. Robertson

(For her memorable and medically detailed account of her struggle with toxic shock syndrome.)

Nominations 1983 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Nan C. Robertson
For her memorable and medically detailed account of her struggle with toxic shock syndrome.
Don Colburn
For his documentation of the work of the nation's largest burn treatment center in Seattle, Wash.
James Ricci
For his extraordinary account of an organ donation \"Kelly's Gift,\" and the effects it had on the lives of four strangers.

Saul Pett

(For an article profiling the federal bureaucracy.)

Nominations 1982 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Saul Pett
For an article profiling the federal bureaucracy.
Erik Lacitis
For his series on abortion.
H. G. Bissinger
For his account of a near air crash and its aftermath

Teresa Carpenter

(For her account of the death of actress-model Dorothy Stratten. (The prize in this category was originally awarded to Janet Cooke of The Washington Post, but was revoked after it was revealed that her winning story about an 8-year-old heroin addict, was fabricated.))

Nominations 1981 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Teresa Carpenter
For her account of the death of actress-model Dorothy Stratten.
Madeleine Blais
Douglas J. Swanson

Madeleine Blais

(For 'Zepp's Last Stand.')

Nominations 1980 »

Nominee Nominated Work
Madeleine Blais
For \"Zepp's Last Stand.\"
Bonnie M. Anderson
For \"Execution of My Father.\"
John Sandford
For a series on Indians.
Saul Pett
On the snail darter.

Jon Franklin

(For an account of brain surgery.)