2 Indians win Pulitzer for graphic report on digital arrest 

The Pulitzer Prize Board has awarded the 2026 prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary to Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, along with Bloomberg colleague Natalie Obiko Pearson, for trAPPed – a graphic investigation into a neurologist in India held captive by her own phone under what is known as “digital arrest”. 

Published by Bloomberg, the work uses visuals and narrative to illuminate the growing global menace of surveillance, online fraud, and the sophisticated psychological traps that digital scammers set for their victims.

The prizes were announced Monday from Columbia University in New York. 

Anand RK, a Mumbai-based artist known for the graphic novels Blue in Green and Grafity's Wall, brought the story to life visually. Suparna Sharma, a Delhi-based freelance journalist, along with Pearson, Bloomberg’s senior investigative reporter for Asia and a former India correspondent, anchored the reporting.

Widely regarded as the highest honour in American journalism, the Pulitzers recognise standout reporting, commentary and storytelling across newsrooms of all sizes.

This year’s awards arrive at a fraught moment for press freedom. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, President Donald Trump has taken steps that have complicated journalists' ability to cover the government. Against that backdrop, the Investigative Reporting prize went to the staff of The New York Times for a series exposing how Trump has dismantled conflict-of-interest constraints and used the presidency to enrich his family and allies.

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