2019 Pulitzer Prize Winners (PHOTO GALLERY)

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On a day that typically honors professional journalists from around the world, this year’s announcement of the Pulitzer Prize winners on April 15 broke from tradition by first recognizing the staff of the Eagle Eye student newspaper of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. for their coverage of the tragic shooting that took place inside their school February 2018.

“These budding journalists remind us of the media’s unwavering commitment to bearing witness—even in the most wrenching of circumstances—in service to a nation whose very existence depends on a free and dedicated press,” Pulitzer administrator Dana Canedy said during her opening remarks.

The Eagle Eye staff wasn’t alone.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel won in the Public Service category for its reporting of the Parkland shooting, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was awarded a Pulitzer in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue.

The Washington Post took home three prizes in Criticism, Feature Photography and Editorial Cartooning, while the New York Times earned two prizes for Explanatory Reporting and Editorial Writing.

A special citation award was also given to the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Md. to honor the newsroom’s “journalists, staff and editorial board for their courageous response to the largest killing of journalists in U.S. history…and for demonstrating unflagging commitment to covering the news and serving their community at a time of unspeakable grief.” The citation includes a $100,000 bequest by the Pulitzer Board “to be used to further the newspaper’s journalistic mission.”

For a complete list of winners and finalists, visit pulitzer.org.

Public Service

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Breaking News Reporting

Staff of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Investigative Reporting

Matt Hamilton, Harriet Ryan and Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Times

Explanatory Reporting

David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner of the New York Times

Local Reporting

Staff of the Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

National Reporting

Staff of the Wall Street Journal

International Reporting

Maggie Michael, Maad al-Zikry and Nariman El-Mofty of the Associated Press

Staff of Reuters, with notable contributions from Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo

Feature Writing

Hannah Dreier of ProPublica

Commentary

Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Criticism

Carlos Lozada of the Washington Post

Editorial Writing

Brent Staples of the New York Times

Editorial Cartooning

Darrin Bell, freelancer

Breaking News Photography

Photography staff of Reuters

Feature Photography

Lorenzo Tugnoli of the Washington Post

Special Citation

Capital Gazette, Annapolis, Md.