On Tuesday, May 28, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners gathered to receive their awards at a lunchtime ceremony in New York City. Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger, Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chairs Robert Blau and Steven Hahn, and Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy presided.
The event culminated in a surprise appearance by Jennifer Hudson, who performed Aretha Franklin's 1972 arrangement of "Amazing Grace" in tribute to the posthumous Special Citation recipient.
A full list of this year's winners and their work, announced April 15, is available here.
"Bravery and commitment to purpose was a palpable theme of this year’s prizes," Canedy said. "It served to remind us that, of course, the press will endure, even as security threats to journalists are greater than ever. And even as some wrongly degrade the media as an enemy of the very democracy it serves. That is false marketing, not fake news and we should call it out as such because, as the founding fathers knew well, there can be no democracy without a free press." Read her full remarks here.
Prior to the ceremony, Administrator Dana Canedy accompanied the staff of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's Eagle Eye newspaper to an appearance on MSBNC Live with Stephanie Ruhle. (Courtesy of Geralyn Lucas)
The 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Breaking News Photography contributors from Reuters mingle at the pre-ceremony reception. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff and family members from the Capital Gazette. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Commentary winner Tony Messenger poses with members of his family and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editor Gilbert Bailon (center-rear). (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Local Reporting contributors from The Advocate of Baton Rouge, La. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron greets International Reporting named contributors Kyaw Soe Oo (left) and Wa Lone (right) of Reuters. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Music winner Ellen Reid (left) and librettist Roxie Perkins (right). (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler (left) and correspondent Poppy McPherson catch up with Pulitzer Prize Board member Steve Engelberg. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University
Reuters International Reporting contributors pose with Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chairs Robert Blau (left rear) and Steven Hahn (right rear) and Administrator Dana Canedy. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University).
Former Pulitzer Prize Board member Lou Boccardi (left) chats with former Pulitzer Prize Administrator Sig Gissler and his wife, Mary. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Publisher John Robinson Block. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
National Reporting contributors from The Wall Street Journal. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
CNN anchor Don Lemon. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Poetry winner Forrest Gander (right) with New Directions Senior Editor Declan Spring. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Biography winner Jeffrey C. Stewart and his children. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Public Service contributors from the South Florida Sun Sentinel. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Dana Canedy (center) confers with Clive Davis (right), who will accept Aretha Franklin's special award. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Recently freed International Reporting contributors Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone addressed the attendees at the invitation of Pulitzer Administrator Dana Canedy. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Steven Hahn offered brief remarks. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Robert Blau offered brief remarks. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Former Aretha Franklin collaborator Damien L. Sneed (at piano) and Brandie Inez Sutton performed interstitial music at the event, including "In a Sentimental Mood" by posthumous Special Citation recipient Duke Ellington. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Administrator Dana Canedy acknowledged attendees from The Eagle Eye (center) in her remarks. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Over 250 guests attended the event. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Prior to distributing the awards, Columbia University President Lee Bollinger offered a brief rumination on the vitality of the Pulitzers. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members from the South Florida Sun Sentinel (from left: Randy Roguski, Julie Anderson and Dana Banker) accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members and contributors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (from left: Shelly Bradbury, Paula Ward, Alexandra Wimley, Liz Navratil, John Robinson Block, James Iovino, David Shribman and Andrew Goldstein) accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Paul Pringle (left), Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Russ Buettner (left), David Barstow and Susanne Craig accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members and contributors from The Advocate of Baton Rouge, La. (from left: John Simerman, Jim Mustian, Jeff Adelson and Gordon Russell) accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members from The Wall Street Journal (from left: Joe Palazzolo, Nicole Hong, Rebecca Ballhaus, Michael Siconolfi, Jennifer Forsyth, Michael Rothfield, Rebecca Davis O'Brien and Ashby Jones) accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Maggie Michael and Nariman El-Mofty (with Lee Keath of the Associated Press) accept a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Fellow winner Maad al-Zikry was denied entry from Yemen by the United States and appeared via FaceTime on Michael's phone.) (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members from Reuters (from left: Simon Lewis, Kyaw Soe Oo, Poppy McPherson, Antoni Slodkowski, Shoon Naing and Wa Lone) accept a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Hannah Dreier accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Tony Messenger accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Carlos Lozada accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Brent Staples accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Darrin Bell accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff members from Reuters (from left: Adrees Latif, Loren Elliott, Carlos Barria, Edgard Garrido, Lucy Nicholson, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Ueslei Marcelino, Alkis Konstantinidis, Claudia Daut, Kim Kyung Hoon, Corinne Perkins and Mike Blake) accept the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography from Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Lorenzo Tugnoli accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Staff and family members from the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Md. (from left: Christine Gorham, Andrea Chamblee [partially obscured], Rachael Pacella, Erica Fischman, Selene San Felice, Winters Geimer, Rick Hutzell, Phil Davis and Paul Gillespie) accept a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Richard Powers accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Jackie Sibblies Drury accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
David W. Blight accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for History from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Blight carried 1995 National Reporting winner Tony Horwitz's 'Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide' to the stage. Horwitz, the husband of 2005 Fiction winner Geraldine Brooks, died before a planned promotional appearance in Washington on May 27. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Jeffrey C. Stewart accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Biography from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Forrest Gander accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Eliza Griswold accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Ellen Reid accepts the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Music from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Clive Davis (left) and Gwendolyn Quinn accept Aretha Franklin's posthumous 2019 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Academy and Grammy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson stuns the audience with a surprise performance of "Amazing Grace" modeled after Franklin's 1972 arrangement. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Academy and Grammy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson stuns the audience with a surprise performance of "Amazing Grace" modeled after Franklin's 1972 arrangement. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Academy and Grammy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson stuns the audience with a surprise performance of "Amazing Grace" modeled after Franklin's 1972 arrangement. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Hudson poses with The Eagle Eye's staff. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
Hudson poses with Dana and Jordan Canedy. (Eileen Barroso/Columbia University)
The Apollo Theater highlighted Franklin's achievement on its marquee. (Barbara Alper/Columbia University)