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A single image can speak volumes, but for a fortunate and courageous few, it can also earn $15,000 and immense recognition. Since its inception in 1942, the Pulitzer Prize for photography has honored photographers behind some of history's most iconic and impactful images.
While every photograph tells a story, those awarded the Pulitzer often come with extraordinary backstories about their creation. These 10 images stand out as some of the most significant Pulitzer Prize–winning photographs in history. (The year of the award is noted below each photo's title or description.)
10. Firing Squad in Iran, 1980
Jahangir Razmi’s striking image, Firing Squad in Iran, earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1980, yet Razmi remained uncredited until 2006. Captured on August 27, 1979, the photo was published without attribution in the Iranian newspaper Ettela’at. Razmi holds the distinction of being the only anonymous Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, a decision made to protect him from potential repercussions due to the photograph’s graphic nature.
The image freezes the harrowing moment of a Kurdish militant group’s execution at Sanandaj airport. Eleven individuals, convicted of firearm smuggling, inciting riots, and murder after a swift 30-minute trial, were executed on the spot.
Razmi trailed the condemned men outside, where they were swiftly positioned for execution. His photograph immortalized the split-second when some members of the firing squad had discharged their weapons while others had not. To safeguard Razmi from government retaliation, his identity was concealed by the publisher. It wasn’t until 2006, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, that Razmi disclosed he was the photographer behind the iconic image.
9. Fire Escape Collapse, 1976
Stanley Forman was awarded the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for his gripping image, Fire Escape Collapse. The photograph captures the tragic instant when a woman and a child plummeted from a failing fire escape in Boston on July 22, 1975. The victims were 19-year-old Diana Bryant and her two-year-old goddaughter, Tiare Jones.
Bryant lost her life in the collapse, which happened as a fire engine’s turntable ladder was being extended to rescue them from a height of about 15 meters (50 ft). In a stroke of luck, Jones survived after landing on Bryant’s body.
Upon arriving at the scene, Forman positioned himself to document what seemed like a heroic rescue attempt. Firefighter Bob O’Neil was in the midst of reaching Bryant and Jones when the fire escape unexpectedly collapsed beneath them.
Forman kept photographing as the fall unfolded but admitted he “couldn’t bear to see them hit the ground,” turning away at the final moment. The image also earned the title of World Press Photo of the Year.
8. The Murder of Heather Heyer, 2018
In 2017, Ryan Kelly was concluding his tenure at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Virginia, when a protest erupted in the city. The demonstration was sparked by plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Amid the chaos, a man associated with a white supremacist group drove his vehicle into a crowd of counterprotesters, resulting in the death of Heather Heyer. Kelly’s photograph of the incident, which captured the moment Heyer and approximately 35 others were struck, earned him the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.
Initially, Kelly was taking wide-angle shots of the march. However, when a car suddenly sped toward the crowd, his instincts as a journalist took over, and he documented the tragic event that claimed Heyer’s life.
The image became a powerful symbol of the nationwide protests and escalating racial tensions. Although Kelly had already accepted a role as a social media manager for a local brewery, he chose to stay at the office to assist in case the Unite The Right rally turned violent.
7. Lone Jewish Woman, 2007
Oded Balilty, working for the Associated Press, was assigned to photograph Jewish settlers protesting against Israeli security forces in the West Bank. The image, captured on February 1, 2006, earned Balilty the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.
To date, Balilty remains the sole Israeli photographer to receive this prestigious award, despite being nominated twice. While covering the Amona settlement east of Ramallah, Balilty observed a solitary woman bravely confronting a wave of security forces and quickly documented the moment.
The photograph of the woman’s defiance against the advancing forces became a powerful symbol of resistance. Although around 200 people were injured during the settlement’s evacuation, this single image encapsulated the intensity of the confrontation and the broader political tensions in Israel.
6. Burst of Joy, 1974
Slava “Sal” Veder, an Associated Press photographer, documented the emotional return of Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Stirm at Travis Air Force Base in California. Stirm, a prisoner of war held by the North Vietnamese for over five years, was met on the tarmac by his 15-year-old daughter (center) and his family. The image perfectly encapsulates the overwhelming joy as his daughter sprinted toward the father she hadn’t seen in years.
When Veder’s Burst of Joy earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1974, copies of the photograph were distributed to each family member. Today, the now-adult children proudly display their copies in their homes.
Unseen in the photo is Stirm’s personal heartbreak, having received a “Dear John” letter just three days prior to his return. Although he and his wife divorced within a year, the image remains a poignant symbol of a soldier reuniting with his family after the horrors of war.
5. The Terror of War, 1973
Napalm, primarily designed as a defoliant, was frequently deployed against both combatants and civilians during the Vietnam War. On June 8, 1972, Huynh Cong Ut, known professionally as Nick Ut, captured one of the war’s most haunting moments, documenting the devastating impact of such an attack.
4. Saigon Execution, 1969
On February 1, 1968, South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, then chief of the national police, publicly executed Vietcong officer Nguyen Van Lem on the streets of Saigon. The act was witnessed by NBC cameramen and Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams, who captured the infamous image.
After shooting the man in the head, Loan approached the reporters and calmly stated, “These men have killed many of our people, and I believe Buddha will forgive me.”
Adams’s photograph quickly became a stark symbol of the war’s brutality. However, the events leading up to the execution were far more complex than the image alone suggested.
The executed man led a “revenge squad” responsible for the deaths of numerous unarmed civilians earlier that day. Despite this, Adams was deeply affected by the photograph, later expressing regret: “The general killed the Vietcong; I killed the general with my camera.”
3. The Vulture and the Little Girl, 1994
Among all Pulitzer Prize–winning photographs, The Vulture and the Little Girl stands out for its heartbreaking narrative. Kevin Carter captured this image, published in The New York Times on March 26, 1993, to highlight the dire conditions in Sudan during that period.
The child, a boy mistakenly identified as a girl at the time, was attempting to reach a United Nations feeding center when he collapsed due to severe starvation. Carter photographed the frail toddler with a vulture lurking nearby, earning him the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
The photograph sparked intense backlash against Carter, with many accusing him of prioritizing the shot over aiding the child. Four months after winning the Pulitzer, Carter took his own life. The emotional toll of witnessing such suffering, combined with the public criticism, drove him to this tragic end.
Reflecting on Carter’s suicide, Bishop Desmond Tutu wrote, “We understand the toll of trauma that led some to take their own lives, recognizing that these individuals were humans enduring unimaginable pressures.”
2. Victim of the Oklahoma City Bombing, 1996
The Oklahoma City bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. The attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City claimed 168 lives, leaving a lasting scar on the nation.
The tragedy was compounded by the presence of a day care center in the building, where 15 of the 19 child victims lost their lives. While the bombing and its aftermath were extensively documented, Charles Porter IV’s Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph stands as a chilling testament to the horror of that day.
Captured on April 19, 1995, the image depicts a firefighter cradling the body of a critically injured infant. Porter, not a professional photojournalist, happened to have a camera with him at the time.
At the time of the bombing, he was employed as a credit officer at Liberty Bank. As an aspiring journalist who followed the advice to “always keep a loaded camera in my car,” he was prepared to capture the photograph that won him the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Photography.
1. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, 1945
While countless images depict soldiers in action during World War II, the photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, became the defining symbol of American resilience and determination.
The photo was captured during the Battle of Iwo Jima, roughly 90 minutes after a smaller flag had been raised on the mountain. Its widespread popularity across the United States cemented it as an emblem of national pride and the unwavering spirit of the Marine Corps.
The iconic moment was immortalized in the Marine Corps War Memorial, situated in Arlington Ridge Park. While Rosenthal captured numerous images during the war, this particular photograph remains his most renowned. Though he earned little financially from his work, his contributions have since been widely celebrated.
After his passing, the United States Marine Corps honored him with the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. Sig Gissler, a Pulitzer Prize administrator at Columbia University, remarked, “Among all Pulitzer-winning images, none is more unforgettable than Joe Rosenthal’s depiction of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima.”
