Pulitzer Prizes delayed two weeks due to coronavirus

The Pulitzer Prize Board has postponed the announcement of this year’s award winners in order to have additional time to evaluate finalists due to ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, it announced Tuesday. 

Winners for prizes in journalism, books, drama and music will be announced on May 4, two weeks after the initial date set for the announcement. 

The 2020 #Pulitzer Prize announcement will be postponed by two weeks due to #COVID19. 

The Prizes in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music now will be announced on Monday, May 4, 2020 at 3 p.m., via livestream at https://t.co/uTTbOAeuGX.

Full details here:https://t.co/lVtlPiKvuF

— The Pulitzer Prizes (@PulitzerPrizes) April 7, 2020

“The Pulitzer board includes many high-level journalists who are on the frontlines of informing the public on the quickly evolving Coronavirus pandemic. As they focus on this critical mission, this postponement will provide additional time to thoroughly evaluate the 2020 Pulitzer finalists,” Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy said in the statement. 

Canedy said the crisis highlights “journalism’s mission to provide a vital public service,” and demonstrates the ability of literature and the arts to “transport and uplift the human spirit during trying times.”

The winners will be announced via livestream. 

The annual awards luncheon that is traditionally held at Columbia University in May will also be postponed, and details of a celebration in the fall will be announced later. 

The coronavirus pandemic has swept the U.S., with more than 379,000 confirmed cases nationally and 11,851 coronavirus-related deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

Globally, there are more than 1.4 million confirmed cases and more 70,000 deaths, based on the same data.