Justin Chang, former film critic at The Los Angeles Times, clinched the coveted Pulitzer Prize in criticism for his dynamic and diverse coverage of cinema.
Columbia University, which oversees the Pulitzer Prizes, unveiled the 2024 winners on Monday, lauding Chang’s contributions to film criticism across various genres. Chang left the Los Angeles Times—where he worked for nearly eight years—earlier this year to join the New Yorker. The prizes also come with a $15,000 award in most categories.
The Pulitzer Prize board commended Chang for his “richly evocative and genre-spanning film criticism that reflects on the contemporary moviegoing experience.” Chang also serves as a critic for NPR’s “Fresh Air” and previously held the position of chief film critic at Variety.
He beat out fellow finalists Zadie Smith for her “Tár” review in The New York Review of Books, as well as Vinson Cunningham, nominated for her theater reviews for The New Yorker.
In this June 26, 2018 photo, Justin Chang talks about the industry of film criticism in Los Angeles. (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times via AP)