A Brief History Of The Pulitzer Prizes

The most coveted awards in fields from journalism to music are the Pulitzer Prizes. Today’s winners include rappers and cartoonists, but when the Prizes first took shape more than 100 years ago, they were intended for a very different purpose.

By the end of the 19th century, Hungarian-born Joseph Pulitzer stood at the top of his American journalism field. A champion of university-level training for journalism, Pulitzer made provisions in his 1904 will for awards which would be known as the Pulitzer Prizes. This first incarnation of the Prizes comprised four awards in journalism and four in letters and drama among others and ranged in value from $500 to $2,000. Pulitzer’s journalistic eye made him sensitive to his society’s tendency toward progression and inspired his allowance of dramatic changes to the Prizes system.

Those changes came swiftly after the Plan of Award, now called the Pulitzer Prize Board, was formed in 1917. This committee is responsible for shaping the Prizes’ current form: 21 awards in subjects including music, photography, and poetry. In 2006, the lofty institution evolved even further by allowing online content in its 14 journalism categories for the first time. (As of 2012, the entry and judging processes for the Pulitzer Prizes are entirely digital). In another example of the Prizes’ adaptive nature, mainstream music has been considered in the Pulitzer category since 1997; in 2018, rapper Kendrick Lamar took home the honor.

Despite its general prestige, the Pulitzer Prizes haven’t been free from controversy. Some critics have condemned the Board for bestowing many of its journalism awards on major newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. However, one needn’t look far to find counterexamples to this claim: The Virgin Islands Daily NewsandWillamette Weekare just some small outlets the Board has honored. In fact, it can be argued that these small businesses, underdogs in their fields, are who the Pulitzer Prizes were created for. Pulitzer himself was a self-made man, an underdog who, like many recipients of his namesake awards, came out on top in the end.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.