MANILA, Philippines — Three Filipinas — photographer Hannah Reyes Morales, Davao visual artist Ren Galeno and Fil-Am investigative journalist Nicole Dungca — are among the finalists for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize this year.
Galeno and Dungca are finalists in the "Illustrated Reporting and Commentary" for their work on The Washington Post's "Searching for Maura" with journalist Claire Healy.
The Pulitzer website praised the Post's story for "masterful and sensitive use of the comic form to reveal the story of a great injustice to a group of Filipinos exhibited at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, where some of them died."
Galeno expressed her gratitude on social media for the team that brought Maura's story to the surface.
"I'm also so grateful to you! We were just posting doodles here not too long ago. Thank you thank you thank you!" Galeno added.
Last year Dungca, president of the Asian American Journalists Association, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the Audio Reporting category for another Post story "Broken Doors."
Morales is a finalist in the "Feature Photography" category for her contributory work in the New York Times' "How the Youth Boom in Africa Will Change the World."
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The Pulitzer says the Times' story is about a "youthquake" in Africa, where the continent will make up a quarter of the global population and a third of all young people by 2050.
"Thank you to everyone we photographed — it was not the easiest assignment but those we photographed helped us understand, bit by bit, what it means to be young and reshaping Africa, and the world," Morales said on Instagram.
Morales previously won a Pictures of the Year International Award and a World Press Photo Award, both in 2023, and also photographed the Nobel Peace Prize winners of 2021, which included the first Filipino winner and journalist Maria Ressa.
The annual Pulitzer Prize administered by Columbia University recognizes achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature and musical composition in the United States.
To date, only two Filipinos have won Pulitzer Prizes: journalist Manny Mogato in 2018 and the late diplomat Carlos P. Romulo back in 1942.
Photographer Ezra Acayan was a finalist in the Feature Photography category in 2021, while another photographer, Romeo Gacad, was twice a finalist before passing away that same year.
A number of Filipino-Americans have received Pulitzer Prizes, including Jose Antonio Vargas, Cheryl Diaz Meyer, Bryan Acohido and Alex Tizon.
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