AUSTIN, Texas—Carolyn Cole, a 1983 graduate of the School of Journalism in the College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.
A total of 19 former School of Journalism students have won Pulitzer Prizes; Cole is the third to win it more than once. Winners will receive their Pulitzer Prizes at Columbia University in New York City on May 23.
Cole, a photographer with The Los Angeles Times since 1994, won the award forher series, “Monrovia Under Siege,” a cohesive, behind-the-sceneslook at the effects of civil war in Liberia with special attention to innocentcitizens caught in the conflict. The photographs captured vivid scenes of thestreet fighting in Liberia’s capital—often by children—andthe effects of the war.
Cole is an internationally recognized photographer who has recorded conflicts around the globe. Her work has garnered critical acclaim and awards, including the 2004 George Polk Award for Photojournalism; the 2004 National Press Photographers Association newspaper photographer of the year; the 2003 Robert Capa Award for courage in photography for covering the siege at the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem; and the 2004 University of Missouri Pictures of the Year newspaper photographer of the year. She previously won the Pulitzer Prize in the 1998 breaking news category for Los Angeles Times team coverage of the North Hollywood shootout.
The Pulitzer Prizes were established by a provision in the 1904 will of Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer created the prizes as an incentive to excellence in journalism, education, and letters and drama. Since 1917 when the first prizes were awarded, the Pulitzer Prize Board has increased the number of awards to 21 and introduced poetry, music and photography as subjects. The prize for photography was established in 1942, and was divided in 1968 into spot or breaking news and feature photography.
To view Cole’s series, “Monrovia Under Siege,” visit the 2004 Feature Photography section of the Pulitzer Prizes Web site. A complete list of former School of Journalism students who are Pulitzer Prize winners is available on the College of Communication Web site.
For more information contact: Erin Geisler, College of Communication, 512-475-8071.
