14.05.2025
Fulbright Commission

Fulbrighters Claim Pulitzer Honors: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Wins Prize for Drama, Josie Jack’s Project Short-Listed in Investigative Reporting

2025 is indeed a vintage year for Fulbright Germany and the Pulitzer Prize! On 5 May 2025, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (U.S. Student, 2009/10) received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his Broadway hit Purpose, while journalism student Josie Jack (US - Journalists Seminar, 2023/24) and her colleagues at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, University of Maryland, were named finalists in the Investigative Reporting category for their sweeping collaboration Lethal Restraint (Playbill, Maryland Today).

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins mit kurzem, lockigem Haar, Brille und gepflegtem Bart steht in einem botanischen Umfeld mit grünen, teils beschneiten Blättern im Hintergrund. Er trägt ein schwarzes T-Shirt mit einem schwarzen offenen Hemd darüber und blickt ernst in die Ferne.

During his Fulbright year at Berlin’s Freie Universität, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins spent “countless hours” in the JFK Institute Library, devouring classic American plays and shaping the creative routine that now underpins his work. “Everything I’m doing now is because I was given the time and space to understand myself, explore my interests, and discover new theatre cultures,” he reflects. Purpose—premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf in 2024 and now running at the Helen Hayes Theatre—blends sharp comedy and family drama to probe legacy and identity within a prominent Black American household. The Pulitzer Board hailed it as “a skillful blend of drama and comedy that probes how different generations define heritage” (news.yale.edu). To learn more about his latest work follow this link: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama | Yale News.

Josie Jack mit langen, welligen braunen Haaren steht an einem Geländer vor einem See. Sie lächelt freundlich in die Kamera. Im Hintergrund sind blühende Kirschbäume, das Jefferson Memorial und ein Kran zu sehen. Sie trägt einen beigen Pullover mit großen roten Blumenmustern.

Recent alumna Josie Jack was part of the investigative team behind the project Lethal Restraint, an 18-month investigation led by the Associated Press, PBS FRONTLINE and the Howard Centers at Maryland and Arizona State. The project documented 1,000-plus U.S. deaths linked to so-called “less-lethal” police tactics between 2012 and 2021, sparking calls for nationwide reform and earning the first Pulitzer recognition in Merrill College history (Maryland Today). Jack served as reporter for Howard Center at Maryland team. Follow this link to see the results of their investigation: Investigation into police use of force across the U.S..

Fulbright Germany congratulates Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Josie Jack on these outstanding achievements and applauds their commitment to using creativity and investigative rigor for the public good. Their successes reaffirm the enduring power of international exchange and inspire the next generation of Fulbrighters on both sides of the Atlantic.

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