Reports on the Ann Telnaes – Washington Post Pulitzer
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“In a time when the free press is under attack by autocrats in their quest to silence dissent, editorial cartoons and satire are essential for a democracy to survive and thrive. I’m honored to receive this award and encourage everyone to support their local cartoonist.”
– Ann Telnaes
On National Cartoonists Day it was cartoonist Ann Telnaes winning The Pulitzer Prize for cartooning.
Ann Telnaes‘ win of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary for work created in 2024 for The Washington Post made a bigger splash in the news cycle than usual because of her quitting the paper early this year due to the paper’s rejection of a January 2025 cartoon critical of WaPo owner Jeff Bezos and others. A hook so unavoidable even The Post had to mention it in their story – though they didn’t dwell on it.
It was mentioned in all the reporting where the rejected cartoon once more went viral, more so than any of the cartoons that made up the winning entry did.
Ann Telnaes, who quit Washington Post in protest, wins Pulitzer
The Associated Press reported the win in the first two paragraphs mixing in the cartoonist’s and paper’s split and then the next eight paragraphs totally devoted to Ann’s and others quitting The Post.
NEW YORK (AP) — A longtime editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post who quit in protest early this year after editors killed her sketch criticizing the Post owner and other media chief executives working to curry favor with Trump has won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary.
Ann Telnaes won 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,” according to the Pulitzer announcement on Monday.
She quit the paper in protest, and then won a Pulitzer Prize
The journalism site Poynter led off their 2025 Pulitzer story with the Telnaes win and her problems with The Post before going on to “other highlights.”
The Post didn’t run the cartoon, and Telnaes quit in protest. She was praised for her courage. The Post was criticized for killing the cartoon.
That seemed to put a lid on Telnaes’ career at the Post, and an exclamation point on this remarkable and puzzling story. Until Monday, when Telnaes was awarded her second Pulitzer — this one for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary.
Poynter includes the only Ann quote about winning the Pulitzer:
In a statement, Telnaes said, “In a time when the free press is under attack by autocrats in their quest to silence dissent, editorial cartoons and satire are essential for a democracy to survive and thrive. I’m honored to receive this award and encourage everyone to support their local cartoonist.”
Pulitzers Stick it to Bezos
Other, more partisan sites, took it to The Post’ owner. From The Daily Beast:
The Pulitzer Prize board rebuked billionaire Jeff Bezos on Monday by awarding the Pulitzer for illustrated reporting and commentary to the former Washington Post cartoonist who quit the paper after her cartoon was scrapped.
Ann Telnaes won the award, considered the highest honor in journalism, four months after she revealed that a cartoon showing Bezos and other tech billionaires genuflecting to Donald Trump was killed by the newspaper’s then-opinions editor David Shipley.
Cartoonist Ann Telnaes won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary on Monday, shortly after she resigned from The Washington Post over it reportedly censoring a cartoon critical of Post owner Jeff Bezos’ relationship with President Donald Trump.
The Pulitzer Prizes are considered the highest award in journalism. In its citation, the Pulitzer committee credited Telnaes 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.” Telnaes previously won the award in 2001.
In a short congratulatory post the Daily Kos showed the rejected cartoon.
Cartoonist Who Quit After Washington Post Wouldn’t Run Bezos-Trump Cartoon Wins Pulitzer Prize
Ann Telnaes publicly parted ways with the publication after she said The Post refused to print a cartoon that critiqued owner Jeff Bezos and other billionaires’ relationship with President Donald Trump.
And so it went.
Former Imagineer Ann Telnaes Wins Pulitzer Prize
Organizations that had a relationship with Ann were proud for her. Walt Disney World News Today:
Former Imagineer Ann Telnaes was awarded a Pulitzer Prize this week following her resignation from the Washington Post over the rejection of a political cartoon depicting President Trump and Mickey Mouse.
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