“Ironically, the very first time the Prizes were presented was June 1917 — less than a year before the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu pandemic… During this season of unprecedented uncertainty, one thing we know for sure is that journalism never stops. And much like our courageous first responders and frontline healthcare workers, journalists are running toward the fire,” Canedy said during the winner announcement, indiatimes.com wrote.

Talking about the importance of arts and the written word, she further said, “We also know that the arts have the power to sustain, unite and inspire us during times of uncertainty and fear. Many are finding needed distraction in the pages of a book, solace in a beautiful song, comfort in a poem, and joy in a recorded theatrical performance. And while theaters across the nation are now dark, we know that their lights will shine brightly, once again.”

The different categories in arts (Letters, Drama, and Music) are – Fiction, Non-fiction, History, Autobiography or Biography, Poetry, Drama, and Music. It’s noted that the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the most coveted prizes in literature. This year, author Colson Whitehead created history by becoming the fourth author to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice! Other authors who have won the Pulitzer twice in the past are Booth Tarkington, William Faulkner, and John Updike.

Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2020 for his novel ‘The Nickel Boys’. The book is inspired by the horrifying incidents that happened in Dozier School for Boys, which shut down in 2011. As many as 100 young boys died at the school between 1900-1973 for being convicted for small crimes and tortured to death. Whitehead also won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 2017 for his novel ‘The Underground Railroad’ which also highlights the cruelty faced by African-Americans.

For the first time in the history of the Pulitzer Prize, an award is given for Audio Reporting this year. The staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News won a Pulitzer in this category for its episode ‘The out Crowd,’ which revealed the impacts of Donald Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy.