2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced; Sanaz Tusi Wins for Playwriting

The names of the winners of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in various categories were announced on the award's website. In the playwriting category, 'English' written by Sanaz Tusi won the award. The jury described this work as 'a quiet and powerful play.' 'English' is about four Iranian adults preparing for an English language test at a small school near Tehran, where separation from family and travel restrictions lead them to learn a new language that may change their identity. This play, a joint production of Atlantic Theater Company and Roundabout Theatre, takes place in a classroom in Iran in 2008. Sanaz Tusi is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her family left the country after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and settled in California. She has also written another play titled 'I Wish You Were Here,' published in 2022. In the public service category, the Pulitzer committee honored the brave reporting of 'Associated Press' from the besieged city of 'Mariupol' in Ukraine, recognizing 'Mstyslav Chernov,' 'Yevhen Malolietka,' 'Vasylisa Stepanenko,' and 'Lori Hinnant.' In the breaking news category, the staff of the Los Angeles Times received an award for 'exposing a secretly recorded conversation between city officials that contained racist remarks,' along with further coverage and in-depth articles addressing racial issues in local policies. The New York Times staff was also recognized for their international reporting on 'the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine,' including in-depth investigations reported on Ukrainian casualties in the city of Bucha. In the social issues category, Eli Saslow from the Washington Post was honored for articles about 'people struggling with homelessness, addiction, inequality, and the COVID-19 pandemic.' For over 100 years, the Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded by Columbia University to honor American achievements in journalism, drama, and music. The Pulitzers are recognized as the most prestigious awards in their field in the United States.