At the Pulitzer Prize centennial kickoff event in Washington, D.C., we asked 32 prize winners to describe, in one word, their first thought or feeling when they learned they had won a Pulitzer Prize.
After overcoming word-count-shock, and bit of overthinking and self-editing, not to mention spell-checking, almost everyone settled into a consensus: disbelief, relief (it’s a long road, especially if you’ve been a finalist or staked your career on the story), jubilation, pause.
Here are their responses, alphabetized.
Note: Some of these images were taken in the Newseum Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery. There is no relationship between the featured winner and the photograph behind.
Amazed. Eli Sanders won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Amazement! Bev Weintraub won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
Bittersweet. Thomas Kelly III won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
Conflicted. Cornelia Grumman won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
Disbelief. David Kennerly won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
Disbelieving. Sheri Fink won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.
Empathy. Four-time recipient Carol Guzy won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2000, an award she shared with Washington Post colleagues Michael Williamson (also in this slideshow) and Lucian Perkins.
Expletive! Joel Pett won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning..
[Floored]. Mike Luckovich won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.
Gratitude. Maria Henson won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Reporting.
Heart Attack. Paul Giblin won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.
Happiest moment of my life. Nick Ut won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
Holy Crap!! Scott Higham was part of the team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting (see Sari Horwitz in this slideshow).
Holy S###. Carol Leonning won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
Humbled (really). Scott Applewhite was part of the teams that won the 1993 and 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
Joy! Jeff Gammage was part of the Philadelphia Inquirer team that won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Life Changing. Susan Snyder was part of the Philadelphia Inquirer team that won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Lucky. Michael Williamson won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2000, an award shared with Washington Post colleagues Carol Guzy (also in this slideshow) and Lucian Perkins.
Mom!?! Joby Warrick was part of the team that won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Mistake. Tyler Hicks won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.
Not fired! David Maraniss won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
Obituary. Kristen Graham was part of the Philadelphia Inquirer team that won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Relieved. Marty Baron and his team won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Relieved. Tom Hallman Jr. won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Scooped. Jane Smiley won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Seriously?! Jeffrey Marx won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. He was 23.
Shock - then Giddiness. Jonathan Gold won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
Shocked! Sari Horwitz was part of the team that won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for public service and the team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting (see Scott Hingham in this slideshow).
Splendor. John H. White won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
Stunned. Dylan Purell was part of the Philadelphia Inquirer team that won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
What!? Tony Horwitz won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.