| Public service | The Washington Post | " ... for the work of Dana Priest, Anne Hull and photographer Michel du Cille in exposing mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, evoking a national outcry and producing reforms by federal officials." [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/walter-reed/ Original series] |
| Breaking news reporting | The Washington Post | " ... for its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online." [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/vatechshootings/ Original series] |
| Investigative reporting | Walt Bogdanich and Jake Hooker of The New York Times | " ... for their stories on toxic ingredients in medicine and other everyday products imported from China, leading to crackdowns by American and Chinese officials." Original series |
| Investigative reporting | Chicago Tribune | " ... for its exposure of faulty governmental regulation of toys, car seats and cribs, resulting in the extensive recall of hazardous products and congressional action to tighten supervision." [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516071619/http://www.chicagotribune.com/safety Original series] |
| Explanatory reporting | Amy Harmon of The New York Times | " ... for her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports." Original series |
| Local reporting | David Umhoefer of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | " ... for his stories on the skirting of tax laws to pad pensions of county employees, prompting change and possible prosecution of key figures." Original article |
| National reporting | Jo Becker and Barton Gellman of The Washington Post | " ... for their lucid exploration of Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful yet sometimes disguised influence on national policy." [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509070548/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/ Original series] |
| International reporting | Steve Fainaru of The Washington Post | " ... for his heavily reported series on private security contractors in Iraq that operate outside most of the laws governing American forces." [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2007/06/15/LI2007061501702.html Original series] |
| Feature writing | Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post | " ... for his chronicling of a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters." [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html Original article] |
| Commentary | Steve Pearlstein of The Washington Post | " ... for his insightful columns that explore the nation's complex economic ills with masterful clarity." |
| Criticism | Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe | " ... for his penetrating and versatile command of the visual arts, from film and photography to painting." |
| Editorial writing | No Award |
| Editorial cartooning | Michael Ramirez of Investor's Business Daily | " ... for his provocative cartoons that rely on originality, humor and detailed artistry." |
| Breaking news photography | Adrees Latif of Reuters | " ... for his dramatic photograph of a Japanese videographer, sprawled on the pavement, fatally wounded during a street demonstration in Myanmar." |
| Feature photography | Preston Gannaway of the Concord Monitor | " ... for her intimate chronicle of a family coping with a parent's terminal illness." Original series |
| Fiction | The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books) |
| Drama | Osage County by Tracy Letts (TCG) |
| History | The Transformation of America, 1815–1848 by Daniel Walker Howe (Oxford University Press) |
| Biography | Eden's Outcasts by John Matteson (W.W. Norton) |
| Poetry | Time and Materials by Robert Hass (Ecco/HarperCollins) |
| Poetry | Failure by Philip Schultz (Harcourt) |
| General Nonfiction | Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945 by Saul Friedländer (HarperCollins) |
| Music | The Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang (G. Schirmer) |
|
1. ^{{cite press release | title = Columbia University Announces 92nd Annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music | publisher = Columbia University | date = 2008-04-07 | url = http://www.pulitzer.org/2008/Press%20Release%20-%202008%20Pulitzer%20Prizes.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2008-04-07}}
2. ^{{cite news | last = Pérez-Peña | first = Richard | title = Washington Post Wins 6 Pulitzer Prizes | work = The New York Times | publisher = The New York Times Company | date = 2008-04-07 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/business/media/07cnd-pulitzers.html | accessdate = 2008-04-07}}