The 2014 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced on Monday. The Pulitzer Prize honors "excellence in journalism and the arts since 1917," as stated on the website. The award was first established by publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in NYC. Winners of the prize receive a certificate along with $10,000 in cash. The winner in the public service category receives a gold medal.

Here are some of this year's winners and the judges' commentary of the winners in each category:

The Washington Post and Guardian US won the Public Service Pultizer Prize for their articles about National Security Agency documents leaked by the former government contractor Edward J. Snowden. The Pulitzer Prize judging panel commented that Washington Post and Guardian US earned the award for their "...authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security." It cited The Guardian US for "aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy."

Donna Tartt's best-selling novel The Goldfinch won the fiction category and, according to Variety, the story will be adapted into a Hollywood movie by The Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson. The Prize panel cited that the book was, "a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters that follows a grieving boy's entanglement with a small famous painting that has eluded destruction, a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart."

In the category for Drama, Anne Baker's "thoughtful drama with well-crafted characters" The Flick won. The New York Times reports that Baker drew inspiration for her play from its unusual setting: a theater where the rows of seats faced the play's audience. "I thought about it for years before I started writing -- the idea of characters looking up at the screen, but facing the audience," Ms. Baker said in a NY Times telephone interview.

Breaking News Reporting went to The Boston Globe Staff for "its exhaustive and empathetic coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing manhunt that enveloped the city, using photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy."

Congratulations to all the winners! For a full listing of the winners and finalists, click here.