A masterly play about a Lebanese-American family that blends comedy and tragedy in its examination of how suffering capriciously rains down on some and not others.

A taut, witty drama about an affluent California couple whose daughter has written a memoir that threatens to reveal family secrets about her dead brother.

For its energetic coverage of 27 days of around-the-clock protests in the State Capitol over collective bargaining rights, using an array of journalistic tools to capture one breaking development after another.

For its comprehensive coverage of the mass shooting that killed six and wounded 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, an exemplary use of journalistic tools, from Twitter to video to written reports and features, to tell an unfolding story.

For the work of Danny Hakim and Russ Buettner that revealed rapes, beatings and more than 1,200 unexplained deaths over the past decade of developmentally disabled people in New York State group homes, leading to removal of two top officials, movement to fire 130 employees and passage of remedial laws.

For its exposure of deadly abuses and lax state oversight in Florida'sassisted-living facilities for the elderly and mentally ill that resulted in the closure of dangerous homes, punishment of violators and creation of tougher laws and regulations.

An impressive musical portrait of nine historic churches, written for a string trio but sometimes giving the illusion of being played by a much larger group, changing mood and mode on a dime.

An inventive opera that uses electronic music as it explores a dying billionaire's attempt to transcend mortality through technology, raising significant questions about human existence. Libretto by Robert Pinsky.

An enchanting collection of poems that juggle delight, wit and endless fascination with language.

A compelling work that explores cross-cultural tensions in the world and digs deeply to identify what is essential in human experience.