(Pulitzer) Prizes are for Winners Only

The Pulitzer prizes were announced this week. For anyone that doesn’t know, myself included (until I wrote this article), the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded to “distinguished” works in journalism, letters, drama, and music. The Pulitzer Prize Board, headed by the President of Columbia University, determines the nominations and the awards. What’s pretty cool about the Pulitzers is that there are no set criteria for judging the nominations. The awards are completely subjective. If there isn’t any work that is deemed “worthy” for a particular category, they just don’t give out a prize. Imagine that, not everyone gets a prize, even if they did really good work and tried their best. I like that. More on that in a moment.

Here’s a bit of background on the Pulitzers: From “The History of the Prizes” at www.pulitzer.org - “In the latter years of the 19th century, Joseph Pulitzer stood out as the very embodiment of American journalism. Hungarian-born, an intense indomitable figure, Pulitzer was the most skillful of newspaper publishers, a passionate crusader against dishonest government, a fierce, hawk-like competitor who did not shrink from sensationalism in circulation struggles, and a visionary who richly endowed his profession. His innovative New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reshaped newspaper journalism. Pulitzer was the first to call for the training of journalists at the university level in a school of journalism. And certainly, the lasting influence of the Pulitzer Prizes on journalism, literature, music, and drama is to be attributed to his visionary acumen. In writing his 1904 will, which made provision for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes as an incentive to excellence, Pulitzer specified solely four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one for education, and four traveling scholarships. In letters, prizes were to go to an American novel, an original American play performed in New York, a book on the history of the United States, an American biography, and a history of public service by the press. But, sensitive to the dynamic progression of his society Pulitzer made provision for broad changes in the system of awards. He established an overseer advisory board and willed it "power in its discretion to suspend or to change any subject or subjects, substituting, however, others in their places, if in the judgment of the board such suspension, changes, or substitutions shall be conducive to the public good or rendered advisable by public necessities, or by reason of change of time." He also empowered the board to withhold any award where entries fell below its standards of excellence. The assignment of power to the board was such that it could also overrule the recommendations for awards made by the juries subsequently set up in each of the categories. Since the inception of the prizes in 1917, the board, later renamed the Pulitzer Prize Board, has increased the number of awards to 21 and introduced poetry, music, and photography as subjects, while adhering to the spirit of the founder's will and its intent.” Interesting stuff, eh?

I’m the first person to admit, without any apologies, that I have NO formal training in journalism. I’ll even go so far to say that I’m a “hack”. It isn’t that I don’t want to learn to be a better writer; I just don’t have the time. I write whatever comes to mind and if it entertains or informs the readership (all three of you!) they I guess I did all right. By now you’ve probably figured out that I have two things I like to write about – the outdoors (especially hunting), and my adventures with my family. The outdoors “stuff” is harder – I have to actually construct the article based on research and facts. Writing about my own adventures, past and present, is a lot easier. Only I know the truth, so I can write whatever comes to my mind and nobody (except my Wife) can call bull hockey on me. Hence the reason I started out writing an outdoor column and morphed into writing a sometimes funny autobiographical column.

I joke with my buddies that someday I’ll get a Pulitzer for all my “distinguished” journalistic efforts. The truth is, unless I really apply myself and truly strive for greatness, I’ll just be a hack, writing whatever comes to mind, keeping it easy and fun. I don’t really need a “Certificate of Participation” – seeing my column each week in the paper (I’m always pleasantly surprised when I see it in the paper) is rewarding enough. The bonus is when I’m out-and-about and folks I know tell me things like “I liked your last article!” or “Hey, did you REALLY fall through the ice goose hunting?”

I will admit that I do want to be published in Field & Steam, Outdoor Life, or American Hunter. I just haven’t taken the time to figure out what they’ll reject nicely. Perhaps if I recycled the goose-hunting story, they’d laugh so hard AT me that it would be difficult for them to write the “No Thanks/What Were You Thinking” rejection letter and send it to me.

So here’s the rub – I can keep writing about my own adventures and occasionally write about the outdoors. If you have an opinion, or no opinion, drop me a line at drewschlussel_@_gmail.com and let me know what you want or don’t want. I’ll be sure to keep all comments secret, or give credit where credit is due. Otherwise, without any feedback, you all need to be prepared for more stories about me, my kids, and maybe my wife (if she’ll let me). Thanks for your support and readership.