For distinguished criticism, Five thousand dollars ($5,000).

Awarded to Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times for her passionate, intelligent writing on books and contemporary literature

Columbia University President, George Rupp (right), presents Michiko Kakutani with the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Finalists

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Dorothy Rabinowitz of The Wall Street Journal for her tough-minded, critical columns on television and its place in politics and culture, and Peter Rainer of New Times Los Angeles, a weekly, for his versatile and perceptive writing about film.