The Fulbright Program and Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes have had a lasting influence on journalism, literature, music, and drama, as they have evolved and grown to encompass 22 different categories within these fields. Ninety Fulbright alumni have won a total of 95 Pulitzer Prizes since their inception in 1917, with four Fulbrighters receiving more than one, including three-time winner Edward Albee. The below list of Pulitzer Prize-winning Fulbright alumni features individual winners, but Fulbrighters have also been part of newsrooms and organizations that have won group Pulitzer Prizes. The alumni listed here are excellent examples of the Fulbright Program’s commitment to fostering opportunities and excellence in all fields of study and endeavor. We are delighted to recognize the contributions these globally-minded U.S. Fulbright alumni have made to their fields and to arts and letters around the world, and we look forward to seeing more Fulbrighters join the ranks of Pulitzer Prize winners in the years ahead.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Fulbright Alumni

Megha Rajagopalan

Journalist
Fulbright U.S. Student to China, 2010
2021 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting

Emily Green

Journalist
Fulbright U.S. Student to the Philippines, 2006
2020 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting

David W. Blight

Professor and Author
Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Germany, 1992
2019 Pulitzer Prize in History

Jake Halpern

Journalist and Author
Fulbright U.S. Scholar to India, 2011-2012
2018 Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning, with Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist

David Kertzer

Professor and Author
Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1978 and 2000
2015 Pulitzer Prize in Biography or Autobiography

Jake Halpern

Journalist and Author
Fulbright U.S. Scholar to India, 2011-2012
2018 Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning, with Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist

David Kertzer

Professor and Author
Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1978 and 2000
2015 Pulitzer Prize in Biography or Autobiography

John Lewis Gaddis

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to Finland, 1980-81, and Poland, 1996-97
2012 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Eric Foner

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to Russia, 1990, and Japan, 2003
2011 Pulitzer Prize in History

Philip Schultz

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to Israel, 1983
2008 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Edmund S. Morgan

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to Japan, 1968
2006 Pulitzer Prize (Special Awards and Citations)

William C. Taubman

Biographer and Historian
Fulbright Student to the Soviet Union, 1965
2004 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Herbert P. Bix

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to Japan, 1977 and 1992
2001 Pulitzer Prize in General Non–Fiction

Mark Strand

Poet
Fulbright Student to Italy, 1960, and Fulbright Scholar to Brazil, 1965
1999 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Mark Strand

Poet
Fulbright Student to Italy, 1960, and Fulbright Scholar to Brazil, 1965
1999 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

George Walker

Composer
Fulbright Student to France, 1957
1996 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Eric Freedman

Journalist
Fulbright Scholar to Uzbekistan, 2001
1994 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Beat Reporting

Stephen Doig

Journalist
Fulbright Scholar to Portugal, 2010, and the Czech Republic, 2016
1993 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service

Robert Frederick Schenkkan

Playwright and Screenwriter
Fulbright Scholar to Chile, 1969–70
1992 Pulitzer Prize in Drama

John Updike

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Ghana and Nigeria (Lincoln Lecturer), 1973
1991 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction
(also won 1982 Pulitzer in Fiction)

Allan Temko

Architecture Critic
Fulbright Scholar to France, 1952
1990 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism

David Herbert Donald

Historian and Biographer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1959
1988 Pulitzer Prize in Biography
(also won 1961 Pulitzer in Biography)

Peter Taylor

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1955
1987 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Murray Kempton

Journalist
Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1958
1985 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Commentary

Loretta Tofani

Reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
Fulbright Scholar to Japan, 1983
1983 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Local Investigative / Specialized Reporting

Leon F. Litwack

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the Soviet Union, 1980, and Australia, 1991
1980 Pulitzer Prize in History

John Ashbery

Poet
Fulbright Student to France, 1955
1976 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Richard (R.W.B) Lewis

Biographer
Fulbright Scholar to Germany, 1957, and Japan, 1977
1976 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Dominick Argento

Composer
Fulbright Student to Italy, 1951
1975 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Daniel Boorstin

Historian and former Librarian of Congress
Fulbright Scholar to Japan, 1956, and to Yugoslavia, 1963
1974 Pulitzer Prize in History

Hedrick Smith

Journalist
Fulbright Student to the United Kingdom, 1955
1974 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for International Reporting

Eudora Welty

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1954
1973 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Jacob Druckman

Composer
Fulbright Student to France, 1954
1972 Pulitzer Prize in Music

James A. Wright

Poet
Fulbright Student to Austria, 1952
1972 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Ada Louise Huxtable

Writer and Critic
Fulbright Student to Italy, 1952
1970 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Criticism

Benjamin Reid

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1963
1969 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

George Crumb

Composer
Fulbright Student to Germany, 1954, and Fulbright Scholar to Australia, 1984
1968 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Edward Albee

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the Soviet Union, 1964
1967 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
(also won 1994 and 1975 Pulitzer Prizes in Drama)

William H. Goetzmann

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1967
1967 Pulitzer Prize in History

Katherine Anne Porter

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Belgium, 1954, and Mexico, 1964
1966 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Richard Hofstadter

Historian and Sociologist
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1955
1956 Pulitzer Prize in History
(also won 1964 Pulitzer in General Non–Fiction)

Garett Mattingly

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1963
1960 Pulitzer Prize
(Special Awards and Citations)

Oscar Handlin

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to France, 1954, and Australia, 1981
1952 Pulitzer Prize in History

Virgil Thomson

Composer
Fulbright Scholar to France, 1960
1949 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Virginius Dabney

Journalist and Editor
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1954
1948 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Editorial Writing

Merle Curti

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1952, India, 1964, and Brazil, 1969
1944 Pulitzer Prize in History

John Steinbeck

Writer
Fulbright Specialist to the Soviet Union, 1963
1940 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Eugene P. Chase

Editor
Fulbright Scholar to France, 1953 and 1956
1934 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Editorial Writing

Greg Grandin

Professor and Author
Fulbright U.S. Student to Guatemala, 2006
2020 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction

Jeffrey C. Stewart

Professor and Author
Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Italy, 2002
2019 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Jack E. Davis

Professor and Author
Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Jordan, 2002-2003
2018 Pulitzer Prize in History

Elizabeth Kolbert

Journalist and Author
Fulbright Student to Germany, 1983
2015 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction

Julia Wolfe

Composer
Fulbright U.S. Student to the Netherlands, 1991
2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Stephen Greenblatt

Literary Critic and Theorist
Fulbright Student to the United Kingdom, 1964-66
2012 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction

Robert Haas

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1976
2008 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Caroline Elkins

Historian and Author
Fulbright Scholar to Kenya, 1998–99
2006 Pulitzer Prize in General Non–Fiction

David Hackett Fischer

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to New Zealand, 1994
2005 Pulitzer Prize in History

Daniel Grech

Journalist
Fulbright Student to Argentina, 2003
2001 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Breaking News Reporting

Bruce Bissell Finley

Journalist
Fulbright Student to the United Kingdom, 1984–85
2000 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Breaking News Reporting

Edward J. Larson

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands, 2000
1998 Pulitzer Prize for History

Will Englund

Foreign Correspondent
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1988
1998 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Investigative Reporting

Edward Albee

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the Soviet Union, 1964
1967 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
(also won 1994 and 1975 Pulitzer Prizes in Drama)

Gunther Schuller

Composer and Musician
Fulbright Scholar to China, 1971
1994 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Wayne Peterson

Composer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1953
1992 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Jane Smiley

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Iceland, 1976–77
1992 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Charles Simic

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to Yugoslavia, 1982
1990 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Roger Reynolds

Composer
Fulbright Student to Germany, 1962
1989 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Rita Dove

Poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate
Fulbright Student to Germany, 1974
1987 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Joseph Lelyveld

Executive Editor of the New York Times
Fulbright Student to Burma, 1960
1986 Pulitzer Prize in General Non–Fiction

Galway Kinnell

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to France, 1955, and to Iran, 1959
1983 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Sylvia Plath

Poet
Fulbright Student to the United Kingdom, 1955
1982 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

C. Vann Woodward

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1955, and New Zealand, 1995
1982 Pulitzer Prize in History

Meg Greenfield

Editorial Page Editor for The Washington Post
Fulbright Student to the United Kingdom, 1952
1978 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Editorial Writing

Alan M. Kriegsman

Writer
Fulbright Student to Austria, 1956
1976 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism

Ned Rorem

Composer and Writer
Fulbright Student to France, 1951
1976 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Edward Albee

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to the Soviet Union, 1964
1974 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
(also won 1994 and 1967 Pulitzer Prizes in Drama)

Donald Martino

Composer
Fulbright Student to Italy, 1954-55
1974 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Michael G. Kammen

Historian and Sociologist
Fulbright Specialist to Romania, 2004
1973 Pulitzer Prize in History

Carl Neumann Degler

Historian and Author
Fulbright Scholar to Chile, 1967
1972 Pulitzer Prize in History

Wallace Stegner

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Greece, 1963
1972 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Richard Howard

Poet
Fulbright Student to France, 1958
1970 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

T. Harry Williams

Biographer and Historian
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1966
1970 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

N. Scott Momaday

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Russia and the Soviet Union, 1973-74
1969 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

Anthony Hecht

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to Brazil, 1972
1968 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

David Brion Davis

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to India, 1967, and France, 1980
1967 Pulitzer Prize in Non–Fiction

Leslie Bassett

Composer
Fulbright Student to France, 1950
1966 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Ernest Samuels

Biographer
Fulbright Scholar to Belgium, 1958
1965 Pulitzer Prize in Biography

David Herbert Donald

Historian and Biographer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1959
1961 Pulitzer Prize in Biography
(also won 1988 Pulitzer in Biography)

Russell Jones

Reporter
Fulbright Scholar in France, 1966
1957 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for International Reporting

Theodore Roethke

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to Italy, 1955
1954 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Roy Franklin Nichols

Historian
Fulbright Scholar to India, 1962
1949 Pulitzer Prize in History

Peter Viereck

Poet
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1953, and Italy, 1954-55
1949 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Aaron Copland

Composer
Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom, 1961, Japan, 1962, Germany, 1963-64, Austria, 1964, and Italy, 1964
1945 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Carleton Mabee

Writer
Fulbright Scholar to Pakistan, 1952, and Japan, 1953
1944 Pulitzer Prize in Biography or Autobiography

Robert P. Tristram Coffin

Writer and Poet
Fulbright Scholar to Greece, 1953
1936 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry