Aretha Franklin honored with special citation at the Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday afternoon, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced for their achievements in journalism and the arts at large. For this year's music award, opera artists Ellen Reid and Roxie Perkins were honored for their album p r i s m. Aretha Franklin was also awarded at the ceremony with a special citation "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades."

Franklin's acknowledgement marks one of the first "special citations" from the Pulitzer Prizes since 2010. Previous honorees of the special citation have included Bob Dylan and John Coltrane. Last year, Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for DAMN.