The Pulitzer Prize
In the latter years of the 19th century, Joseph Pulitzer stood out as the very embodiment of American journalism. Hungarian-born, an intense indomitable figure, Pulitzer was the most skillful of newspaper publishers, a passionate crusader against dishonest government, a fierce, hawk-like competitor who did not shrink from sensationalism in circulation struggles, and a visionary who richly endowed his profession. His innovative New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reshaped newspaper journalism. Pulitzer was the first to call for the training of journalists at the university level in a school of journalism. In writing his 1904 will, which made provision for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes as an incentive to excellence, Pulitzer specified solely four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one for education, and four traveling scholarships.

The first award for photography was bestowed in 1942. The prizes are awarded for distinguished photography in two categories, breaking news and feature photography. The competition is open to all photographers, non-American photographers are eligible if their pictures have been published in a U.S. newspaper during the calendar year. A jury selects three nominees for each category to be submitted to the Pulitzer Prize Board. The board meets each April and selects the prize winners, who are announced at a news conference in the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs was developed by the Newseum, the interactive
museum of news, in association with Business of Entertainment, Inc., NYC, Cyma Rubin, curator.