What You Need To Know About Pulitzer Prize Winners

On Monday, the Pulitzer Committee announced the 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners, which honor excellency in journalism and the arts. The top pick of the year was a doozy, and will most certainly attract a fair amount of controversy, but the rest of the winners — all of whom took away a $10,000 prize — are nothing to sneeze at, either. Here's a rundown of the honorees, and how to get your hands on their award-winning works.

PUBLIC SERVICE: THE GUARDIAN U.S. AND THE WASHINGTON POST

The 2014 Public Service award, generally considered the most prestigious of Pulitzer’s honors, was as much a political statement as it was a journalistic recognition. Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Barton Gellman and Ewan MacAskill were all recognized for their reporting on the Edward Snowden leaks, which revealed for the first time that the National Security Agency conducts widespread domestic surveillance of, well, just about everybody.

Snowden put out a statement praising the award:

Today's decision is a vindication for everyone who believes that the public has a role in government. We owe it to the efforts of the brave reporters and their colleagues who kept working in the face of extraordinary intimidation, including the forced destruction of journalistic materials, the inappropriate use of terrorism laws, and so many other means of pressure to get them to stop what the world now recognises was work of vital public importance.

Greenwald and Poitras had already received a Polk Award for reporting on the Snowden leaks.

Pieces Honored: The Washington Post and The Guardian US

BREAKING NEWS REPORTING: THE BOSTON GLOBE STAFF

The staff at the Boston Globe walked away with the Breaking News award thanks to their “exhaustive and empathetic coverage” of the Boston Marathon bombings. There was a lot of bad reporting in the wake of the attacks, including a disgraceful episode at The New York Post that resulted in the paper getting sued for libel, but the Boston Globe distinguished itself by using “photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy,” according to the Pulitzer Committee.

Pieces Honored: The Boston Globe

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: CHRIS HAMBY AT THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

Chris Hamby won the top Investigative Reporting honor for a series of pieces on corruption in the coal industry. After Hamby reported that doctors and lawyers working for the coal industry were colluding to deny medical benefits to coal miners with black lung, two U.S. congressmen called for a federal investigation into the scandal, and Senate legislation was introduced to reinstate the workers’ benefits.

Pieces Honored: Chris Hamby, Center For Public Integrity

Explanatory Reporting: Eli Saslow at The Washington Post

In another recognition of the Washington Post’s reporting, Saslow won the Explanatory Reporting award for his “unsettling and nuanced” series of pieces on the prevalence on food stamps in America.

Pieces Honored: Eli Saslow, The Washington Post

International Reporting: Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall at Reuters

Marshall and Szep won the International Reporting award for their in-depth investigations into the plight of the Rohingya, a minority in Myanmar that’s fallen victim to widespread human trafficking.

Pieces Honored: Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall at Reuters

Feature Writing: No Award

What happened? The committee simply didn’t give out a Feature Writing award this year, despite having nominated three finalists.

Commentary: Stephen Henderson at the Detroit Free Press

Henderson’s columns on the financial deterioration of Detroit, which were written “with passion and a stirring sense of place, sparing no one in their critique,” netted him the Commentary award.

Pieces Honored: Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press

Criticism: Inga Saffron at the Philadelphia Inquirer

Saffron won the Criticism honor for her series of architectural critiques, which blend “expertise, civic passion and sheer readability into arguments that consistently stimulate and surprise.”

Pieces Honored: Inga Saffron, Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial Writing: Editorial Staff at The Oregonian, Portland

The Oregonian’s editorial staff won the Editorial Writing award for its editorials on rising pension costs, which highlighted “the link between necessary solutions and their impact on everyday lives.”

Pieces Honored: Editorial Staff, The Oregonian

Editorial Cartooning: Kevin Siers at the Charlotte Observer

Siers’ “thought provoking” political cartoons won the Editorial Cartooning award this year.

Pieces Honored: Kevin Siers, the Charlotte Observer

Breaking News Photography: Tyler Hicks at the New York Times

Hicks’ documentation of the terrorist attacks at Westgate mall in Kenya won Breaking News Photography award this year.

Pieces Honored: Tyler Hicks, New York Times

Feature Photography: Josh Haner at the New York Times

The Times also picked up Feature Photography award, with Josh Haner being honored for his piece on a man who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Pieces Honored: Josh Haner, New York Times

FICTION: ‘THE GOLDFINCH’ BY DONNA TARTT

Tartt’s book about a 13-year-old dealing with the loss of his mother is “a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters,” and won Tartt the top Fiction award this year.

You can buy The Goldfinch here.

DRAMA: ‘THE FLICK’ BY ANNIE BAKER

The Drama award honors plays, and Baker won this year for “The Flick,” which centers on the employees of an art-house movie theater in Massachusetts.

You can buy The Flick here.

HISTORY: ‘THE INTERNAL ENEMY’ BY ALAN TAYLOR

Taylor won the History award for The Internal Enemy, a “meticulous and insightful” book on runaway slaves in America who joined the British during the colonial era.

You can buy The Internal Enemy here.

BIOGRAPHY OR AUTOBIOGRAPHY: ‘MARGARET FULLER’ BY MEGAN MARSHALL

Marshall’s book on the life of Margaret Fuller, a 19th century women’s rights advocate, won the top Biography award this year.

You can buy Margaret Fuller: A New American Life here.

POETRY: ‘3 SECTIONS’ BY VIJAY SESHADRI

The Poetry award went to a collection of pieces by Seshadri, which “examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty, grave, compassionate and remorseless.”

You can buy 3 Sections here.

GENERAL NONFICTION: ‘TOMS RIVER’ BY DAN FAGIN

Fagin investigated the link between air and water pollution and childhood cancer rates in the titular New Jersey town, resulting in “a haunting orchestral work” that took home the General Nonfiction prize.

You can buy Toms River here.

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