Four UC alumni win 2026 Pulitzers

The University of California said on May 14 that four alumni won 2026 Pulitzer Prizes, tying the university’s latest recognition to awards announced by the Pulitzer Prize Board on May 4. The UC system’s notice named three alumni from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism — Susie Neilson, Garance Burke and Kathleen Hennessey — and one alumna from UC Santa Barbara, Tess Kenny. The awards spanned explanatory, international, breaking-news and local reporting, according to UC and Pulitzer Prize records. Columbia University administers the Pulitzers on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board. ### Which four UC alumni were named? UC’s May 14 announcement identified Kathleen Hennessey, Susie Neilson and Garance Burke as Berkeley journalism alumni and Tess Kenny as a UC Santa Barbara alumna. The university said the four were honored for reporting on California wildfires, surveillance technology, a church shooting and immigration enforcement in Chicago. (universityofcalifornia.edu) UC Berkeley Journalism separately said on May 4 that Neilson, Burke and Hennessey were named 2026 Pulitzer winners, and that eight other Berkeley alumni were recognized as part of winning or finalist teams. Dean Michael D. Bolden said the school was “extraordinarily proud” of alumni whose work “illuminated facts in dark places and chronicled humanity in the face of brutality.” (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### What did Susie Neilson win for “Burned”? Susie Neilson shared the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting with Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale of the San Francisco Chronicle for “Burned,” according to Pulitzer.org. The Pulitzer citation said the series showed how insurance companies using algorithmic tools failed Californians who lost homes to fire by undervaluing properties, denying claims and making rebuilding difficult. (journalism.berkeley.edu) The San Francisco Chronicle said the prize was announced on May 4 and published a newsroom account showing Neilson, DiNatale, Munce and colleagues reacting to the win. Neilson’s Chronicle staff biography says she won the 2026 Pulitzer for the series after being a finalist in 2025 for national reporting on deadly police chases. (pulitzer.org) ### Which awards did the other UC alumni receive? Kathleen Hennessey, editor and senior vice president of the Minnesota Star Tribune, led the staff that won the Pulitzer for Breaking News Reporting, UC said. Pulitzer.org said the award recognized the paper’s coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 28 wounded. UC’s own write-up described the toll as two children killed and 17 wounded, a difference reflected between the university and Pulitzer records. (sfchronicle.com) Garance Burke, a global investigative journalist at The Associated Press, shared the Pulitzer for International Reporting with Dake Kang, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and contributor Yael Grauer. The Pulitzer citation described the work as a global investigation into mass-surveillance tools created in Silicon Valley, advanced in China and later used by the U.S. Border Patrol. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Tess Kenny, a general assignment reporter at the Chicago Tribune, was part of the staff awarded a Local Reporting Pulitzer, according to UC. The Pulitzer board said the Chicago Tribune staff won for coverage of the Trump administration’s “militarized immigration sweep” of Chicago; the entry had originally been submitted in the Public Service category before being moved by the board. (journalism.berkeley.edu) ### Why did UC highlight Berkeley and Santa Barbara specifically? UC’s notice said three of the four honorees came through UC Berkeley Journalism and one graduated from UC Santa Barbara. The university also said 45 UC faculty members and numerous alumni have earned Pulitzers across journalism, books, drama and music. Berkeley Journalism’s May 4 post added more alumni names connected to winning or finalist work, including Cynthia Dizikes, Joaquin Palomino, Serginho Roosblad, Andy Mannix and Maggie Beidelman. (universityofcalifornia.edu) That school-level post framed the winners as part of a broader Berkeley presence in this year’s Pulitzer field. ### Where can readers verify the winners and citations? (universityofcalifornia.edu) Pulitzer.org maintains the official 2026 winners page and the May 4 announcement listing journalism winners and finalists. The University of California’s May 14 article links the alumni names to campus and newsroom profiles, including material on Neilson’s “Burned” series and the other winning work. The next public milestone is the Pulitzer awards ceremony later in 2026, while the official record of winners remains posted now on Pulitzer.org’s 2026 winners page and UC’s May 14 alumni announcement. (journalism.berkeley.edu) (pulitzer.org 1) (pulitzer.org 2)