Our people suffer for lack of knowledge. It’s not exactly a real bible verse, but it is true. The more informed you are, the more you can pursue.

I’ll start by admitting that, like many others, I was surprised to learn that Kendrick Lamar had won a Pulitzer Prize. Yes, I’m a journalist and until this week I never took note of the fact that you can win a Pulitzer Prize for music.

There’s no shame in admitting this fact. Firstly, Pulitzers are typically associated with journalism and literature — not music. It’s an award that was initially established in the last will and testament of famed newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer. Secondly, Lamar is one of the most controversial artists in hip-hop at the moment. So, even if you were aware that Pulitzers can be awarded for music, you probably wouldn’t expect a hip-hop artist to be the top pick.

Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer for his latest album, 'DAMN.' The Pulitzer board described the album as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.” In other words, they said the album was very black, very believable and dope AF.

His win marks a step in a new direction for the Pulitzer Prize organization, which has never awarded a music prize to a rapper, or anyone in any category other than classical or jazz.

Lamar’s win has also put the spotlight on the Pulitzer Prize itself. More than ever, young black artists now view the award as something that they’re interested in learning how to attain. Whereas before Lamar’s win, the possibility probably didn’t even come to mind.

I’m happy to see young black artists' interest in pursuing the Prize. Quite frankly, the Pulitzer Prize has struggled with the same issue as the Academy Awards (#OscarsSoWhite), the Grammy Awards (#GrammysSoWhite) and many other highly regarded honors in the arts; they typically do not grant awards to works created by people of color.

In the 100 plus years of its existence, the Pulitzer Prize board has awarded less than 100 prizes to African Americans. Yes, that’s less than one award for each year. It’s also worth noting that the first Pulitzer was not awarded to a black person until 1950, roughly 50 years after the award was established. So yeah, #PulitzersSoWhite would not be stretch.

That still hasn’t stopped some white people from expressing their anger over Lamar’s win. I could write a whole new article about that topic, but I digress.

Back to my point: Kendrick can win a Pulitzer Prize and so can you! Contrary to popular belief, to win a Pulitzer Prize you do not need to be old, white, a journalist, or a classical or jazz musician. What you do need to be is skilled in your craft and aware of the categories and submission rules/deadlines.

Each year, 21 Pulitzer Prizes are awarded in three overarching categories:

Journalism: You can enter to win a prize for reporting local, national or international news stories. You can also win in this category for commentary or criticism articles, cartoons (can include still or animated entries) and photography (still photographs that have appeared online or in print). So, yes, an IG photographer can win a Pulitzer if the work is compelling enough.

*The top prize in the journalism category is the Public Service Award. This prize is awarded for works produced by newspapers, magazines or eligible news sites (including blogs) that adhere to a high journalistic standard and serve the public through its published “stories, editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics, videos, databases, multimedia or interactive presentations or other visual material.”

Letters: You can win a prize in this category for works of fiction (books, plays, poetry) and nonfiction (autobiographies, memoirs) preferably about American life. So yes, a Tyler Perry play or a memoir from one of the Real Housewives shows could win a Pulitzer if they sold the entry well enough.
Music: You can win a prize for music from any genre. The only requirements are that the applicant must be American and the song or album must have been first performed, recorded or released in the United States during the award year. So yes, my hip-hop, R&B, gospel, neo-soul, pop, rock artists, you can all enter to win a prize in this category, just like Kendrick did.

If you do decide to enter next year (and I sincerely hope that more black artists do), I would be remiss if I didn’t also inform you of the group that you’ll be judged by: the Pulitzer Prize Board.

The current Pulitzer Board consists of 17 members, most of whom are seasoned authors, journalists, editors, professors or executives in higher education or business. Unlike the history of its awardees, the current Pulitzer Prize board is actually quite diverse. A quick browse through the century-long history of board member photos indicates the board has certainly evolved from its days of enlisting one token minority each year.

That said, if you plan on applying, make sure you come correct. You’re not going to win a Pulitzer just because you want one now.

If Lamar’s win has done anything for black people, I hope it has inspired us to go out and create our best and most authentic work, and to let that work speak for itself.

Queen Muse

Writing since April 2018 · 3 stories contributed