Buffalo News cartoonist Adam Zyglis wins Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning
Former Buffalo News Editor Margaret Sullivan gave newly hired editorial cartoonist Adam Zyglis a simple directive when she hired him in 2004 to fill the vacancy left behind by the departure of Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom Toles.
She said, "Welcome aboard. Now go win us a Pulitzer," Zyglis recalled.
And so he did.
On Monday, Zyglis – who was born in Buffalo, grew up in Alden and graduated from Canisius College – put down his gray German-made Faber-Castell pencil to learn he had joined the ranks of journalism immortals by winning the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.
View more examples of his work |
The Buffalo News staff was also a finalist for the category of Breaking News Reporting for its weeklong coverage of the November 2014 snowstorms. The Pulitzer Prize Board gave the honor "for a superbly reported and written account of a lake-effect snowstorm, using human detail to illuminate the story and multimedia elements to help readers through the storm."
The Seattle Times won the Pulitzer in that category, with The News and Los Angeles Times named as finalists.
"Congratulations to Adam Zyglis for his Pulitzer Prize for cartooning, and congratulations to the entire staff for being a finalist in the breaking news coverage of November's lake-effect storm. What a great day for Adam and The News," said Michael K. Connelly, News editor and vice president, in a congratulatory email to the newsroom. Connelly was out of town Monday.
"Adam's work is exceptional; he is sharp, insightful and entertaining," Connelly said. "Adam comes from a proud tradition at The News ... I couldn't be more proud of his work," Connelly said.
Read more from The Buffalo News
In addition:
- The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
- Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
- Ziva Branstetter and Cary Aspinwall of the Tulsa World were finalists in the Local Reporting category for courageous reporting on the execution process in Oklahoma after a botched execution – reporting that began a national discussion.
- Marisa Taylor, Jonathan Landay and Ali Watkins of McClatchy Newspapers were finalists in the National Reporting category for timely coverage of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture, demonstrating initiative and perseverance in overcoming government efforts to hide the detail.