The Pulitzer Prize is arguably the most prestigious award in journalism. Established in 1917 under the legacy of the successful newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the annual prize is awarded for excellence in journalism. Two awards for photography are given: “Breaking News Photography” and “Feature Photography.” This year, the winners of the awards are Ryan Kelly of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the Breaking News category, and the photography staff of Reuters for the Feature category.
Kelly’s image of a car driving through a protest in Charlottesville, Virginia is incredible. The photographer’s quick reaction to the scene and impeccable timing in capturing the energy and exact moment the car made impact with people in the crowd is remarkable. The protest was Kelly’s last assignment at The Daily Progress. He now covers sports and news as a freelance photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville.
A vehicle plows into a group of protesters marching along 4th Street NE at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville on the day of the Unite the Right rally on Saturday, August 12, 2017.
“For shocking photographs that exposed the world to the violence the Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar,” the Reuters staff earned this year’s Feature prize category. The sheer number of humans who have died (and continue to die) in the Rohingya Refugee crisis is mind-boggling. The U.N. declared the crisis comparable to the Rwandan Genocide. The images by Reuters staff, though, adequately show the humanity of the crisis, not just the numbers.
Images by Reuters Staff.
Overall, all of the finalists and winners of each category of the Pulitzer Prize are emotional, chilling, and compelling. They represent the best in journalism and photojournalism today, and are all worth spending time to look over and study the work for inspiration on solid journalism and photography.
