Other Pulitzer winners

Newspapers

Public service: Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier, for reporter Daniel Gilbert's series that illuminated mismanagement of natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of land owners in southwestern Virginia and subsequent stories that traced why $24 million in royalties were parked in escrow.

Investigative reporting: Sheri Fink of ProPublica, in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, for chronicling the decisions by one hospital's doctors when cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina; Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News, for uncovering misdeeds of a rogue police narcotics squad that used drug searches as a cover to terrorize bodega owners, steal their goods and sexually attack women.

Explanatory reporting: Michael Moss and members of The New York Times staff, for a piece on contaminated hamburger and other food-safety issues that spotlighted defects in federal regulation and led to improved practices.

Local reporting: Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for a "Cashing in on Kids" series that showed that child-care providers were conspiring with parents to collect government cash using faked attendance records.

National reporting: Matt Richtel and members of The New York Times staff, for a series that detailed dangers of texting and using cellphones while driving.

International reporting: Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post, for a series on Iraq's struggle to deal with the legacy of war and to shape its future.

Feature writing: Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post, for a haunting story about parents who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.

Commentary: Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post, for her columns on an array of political and moral topics from the conservative side.

Criticism: Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post, for her dance criticism.

Editorial writing: Tod Robberson, Colleen McCain Nelson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News, for pieces highlighting the social and economic disparity between the city's better-off northern half and distressed southern half.

Editorial cartooning: Mark Fiore, appearing on SFGate.com, for his animated cartoons that have criticized figures from President Obama to global-warming deniers.

Breaking-news photography: Mary Chind of The Des Moines (Iowa) Register, for a picture showing a construction worker dangling from a crane and reaching out to rescue a woman stranded in the churning water of the Des Moines River. The woman survived, but her husband died.

Feature photography: Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post, for the series "Ian Fisher: American Soldier," for which he spent 27 months following Fisher from recruitment, training, deployment to Iraq and return from combat.

Letters, drama and music

Fiction: "Tinkers," by Paul Harding. The Pulitzer board said Harding's book, about a New England father and son who transcend their imprisoned life, offers "new ways of perceiving the world and mortality."

History: "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World," by Liaquat Ahamed. "Lords of Finance" is a compelling account of how the actions of four bankers triggered the Depression and ultimately turned the United States into the world's financial leader, the Pulitzer board said.

Biography: "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt," by T.J. Stiles. "The First Tycoon" explores the life of the steamship and railroad tycoon, whom Stiles describes as "a paradox — both a creator and a destroyer."

Poetry: "Versed," by Rae Armantrout, who teaches at the University of California at San Diego.

General nonfiction: "The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy," by David E. Hoffman. His book is a critically acclaimed examination of the final years of the U.S.-Soviet arms race.

Music: Violin Concerto written by Jennifer Higdonfor violinist Hilary Hahn, commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony and the Curtis Institute of Music.

Special citation: Country-music pioneer Hank Williams, who died Jan. 1, 1953, at the age of 29.

The Associated Press