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The 2026 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary

Finalist: Peter Kuper, freelancer

For a portfolio of vibrant and wordless political cartoons on the climate crisis, politics and emerging technology rendered with a fresh perspective and a unique approach to visual storytelling.

Nominated Work

AI Consuming Our Natural Resources (July 25, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Earth on Life Support While Billionaires Profit (December 17, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Children In War-Torn Regions Face a Deadly Winter (December 23, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

The World Is Trump's Golf Ball (April 16, 2025; In These Times)

The Reign of Guns and Mass Shootings (September 11, 2025; Truthdig)

Oil Industry Actions Increase Climate Disasters (January 22, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Distracted By Cell Phones From The World Around Us (November 24, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Our Dangerous Addiction To Oil (February 5, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Trump's Expanding Military Overreach (August 20, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Trump Defunds Climate Science (March 6, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Habitat Destruction=Pollinator Extinction (July 2, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Trump Dismantles Democracy (May 14, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

The Dangers of Unregulated A.I. (December 4, 2025; Truthdig)

Trump's Embrace of Putin and Authoritarianism (March 19, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Trump's Undoing of Alternative Energy (February 14, 2025; PoliticalCartoons.com)

Biography

Peter Kuper’s illustrations and comics have appeared in publications around the world including The New Yorker, The Nation, Charlie Hebdo and MAD magazine where he has written and illustrated SPY vs. SPY since 1997.

He is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated a political graphics magazine and has produced over two dozen books including The System, Ruins (winner of the 2016 Eisner Award) and adapted Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as well as many of Franz Kafka's works into comics including The Metamorphosis. His latest books are INSECTOPOLIS: A Natural History and Wish We Weren’t Here.

He was the recipient of the 2020-21 Cullman Fellowship at The New York Public Library, the 2024 RFK Journalism Award for cartooning, the 2025 Herblock Finalist Prize and is a 2026 Safina Center Fellow.

He teaches cartooning at Harvard University.

Winners

Prize Winner in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary in 2026:

Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, contributors, and Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg

For “trAPPed,” a riveting account of a neurologist in India held under “digital arrest” by her phone, reporting that uses visuals and words to cast light on the growing global challenges of surveillance and digital scams. Illustrated Reporting and Commentary

Finalists

Nominated as finalists in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary in 2026:

Adolfo Arranz, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot Ghoshal and Han Huang of Reuters

For “Scammed into Scamming,” an insightful and beautifully rendered visual narrative depicting a multibillion-dollar digital scamming industry staffed with victims of global human trafficking.

Ivan Ehlers, freelancer

For an impressive collection addressing contemporary issues, including economics, climate and immigration, that shows extraordinary range, deft artistry and powerful commentary from an emerging visual journalist.

The Jury

Mariel Garza(Chair)

Co-Founder, CEO and Executive Editor, Golden State, Los Angeles

Susie Cagle

Enterprise Editor, The San Francisco Standard

Alberto Cairo

Knight Chair in Infographics and Data Visualization, University of Miami

Jess Ruliffson

Freelance Graphic Journalist, Boston

Ann Telnaes*

Editorial Cartoonist, Bellingham, Wash.

Winners in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary

2025

Ann Telnaes of The Washington Post

For delivering piercing commentary on powerful people and institutions with deftness, creativity – and a fearlessness that led to her departure from the news organization after 17 years.
See All Illustrated Reporting and Commentary

2026 Prize Winners

Opinion Writing

M. Gessen of The New York Times

For an illuminating collection of reported essays on rising authoritarian regimes that draw on history and personal experience to probe timely themes of oppression, belonging and exile.
See All 2026 Winners