The big shock at this year's Pulitzer awards was not who got a prize, but who didn't. For the first time in 35 years, no prize was awarded for fiction, as the judges failed to agree. The annual awards, primarily for US journalism awarded the Huffington Post as best national news. Commentators give the 'young' online news service's success as another example of the changing face of journalism. But the old guard also enjoyed recognition:  The New York Times  picked up two awards; Jeffrey Gettleman won best international reporting and David Kocieniewski got the prize for explanatory reporting.

The prize for public service went to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “for its exploration of pervasive violence in the city’s schools, using powerful print narrative and videos to illuminate crimes committed by children against children and to stir reforms to improve safety for teachers and students." The Patriot-News from Pennsylvania, won the prize for local news, for covering the pedophilia scandal at Penn State University. Alabama's Tuscaloosa News won the prize for breaking news with coverage of the deadly tornado that hit the town in April last year.

The Pulitzer prizes are the most prestigious awards given to the U.S. press. They were created in 1904 by the Hungarian journalist Joseph Pulitzer. They come with a  USD 10,000 check. The full list of winners here.

Ioana Toader, additional reporting by Liam Lever