Four University of California alumni win 2026 Pulitzers, led by Daniel Kraus's fiction prize

The University of California said on May 14 that four alumni were among the 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners announced earlier this month, with honors spread across three journalism categories and one local reporting award. The university’s list named Kathleen Hennessey, Susie Neilson and Garance Burke from UC Berkeley’s journalism program, and Tess Kenny from UC Santa Barbara. (universityofcalifornia.edu) The Pulitzer Prize Board announced the 2026 winners on May 4. In the broader awards, author Daniel Kraus won the fiction prize for “Angel Down,” which the Pulitzer site described as a World War I novel told in a single sentence. (universityofcalifornia.edu) (pulitzer.org) UC’s announcement was narrower than the full Pulitzer list. It focused on alumni tied to the university’s campuses and journalism programs, rather than all 2026 winners. ### Which UC alumni did the university say were honored? UC named four alumni in its May 14 announcement: Kathleen Hennessey, Susie Neilson, Garance Burke and Tess Kenny. The university said three are alumni of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and one, Kenny, is a UC Santa Barbara alumna. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Kathleen Hennessey is editor and senior vice president of the Minnesota Star Tribune. (pulitzer.org) Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Garance Burke is a global investigative journalist at The Associated Press, and Tess Kenny was cited as part of the Chicago Tribune staff recognized in local reporting. (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### What did Susie Neilson win for? Susie Neilson shared the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting for the San Francisco Chronicle series “Burned.” The Pulitzer Board said Neilson, Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale won for showing how insurers used algorithmic tools that failed Californians who lost homes to fire by undervaluing properties, denying claims and making rebuilding difficult. (universityofcalifornia.edu) The San Francisco Chronicle said the award recognized reporting on how insurance company practices failed California fire survivors. The paper’s account of the win showed Neilson celebrating with colleagues on May 4. UC also noted that Neilson had been a Pulitzer finalist the year before for a Chronicle series on deaths from police car chases. (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### How were the other three alumni recognized? Kathleen Hennessey led the Minnesota Star Tribune staff that won the Pulitzer for breaking news reporting. UC said the prize was for coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a Catholic school, and the Pulitzer site said the attack left two children dead and 28 wounded. (pulitzer.org) Garance Burke shared the international reporting Pulitzer as part of an Associated Press team that included Dake Kang, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and contributor Yael Grauer. (sfchronicle.com) The Pulitzer citation said the work traced mass-surveillance tools from Silicon Valley to China and back to the United States for use by the Border Patrol. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Tess Kenny was recognized as part of the Chicago Tribune staff that won in local reporting. UC said the award honored the Tribune’s coverage of the Trump administration’s immigration sweep in Chicago. ### Where does Daniel Kraus fit into this story? (universityofcalifornia.edu) Daniel Kraus appears in the broader 2026 Pulitzer picture, not in UC’s alumni journalism roundup. The Pulitzer organization said Kraus won the fiction prize for “Angel Down,” published by Atria Books. The Pulitzer citation described “Angel Down” as “a breathless novel of World War I” and a “stylistic tour-de-force” blending allegory, magical realism and science fiction. (universityofcalifornia.edu) The university’s May 14 post did not list Kraus among the four UC alumni it highlighted. ### Where can readers verify the awards? The Pulitzer Prizes website has the full 2026 winners and finalists list, published after the May 4 announcement. (universityofcalifornia.edu) The University of California’s May 14 newsroom post separately lists the four alumni it said were honored, with campus affiliations and category details. The San Francisco Chronicle and The Associated Press have also published their own accounts of the wins involving Susie Neilson and Garance Burke. (pulitzer.org) Those posts identify the reporting teams and the work cited by the Pulitzer Board. (sfchronicle.com) (pulitzer.org)