Pulitzer Prize 2018 Finalist- Feature Photography!!!!

I was invited to come to San Antonio today, to be at the SA Express News offices when the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Awards were announced livestream.  "Rowan's Reach" by photojournalist Lisa Krantz had been submitted in the Featured News Category.  With such a big news year, and so many global stories, tragedies and crises, we did not expect to be in the running.  However, Lisa's work was announced as a Pulitzer Prize Finalist!  (one of just 3 in it's category) This is HUGE!.  This is only the second SA Express News submission that has made it as a Pulitzer finalist, in over 100 years.  And Rowan was the only entry this year whose story featured a specific individual, not a group or an event.  For a single child's life, death and legacy to reach such a broad audience and for Lisa's photos of him to be recognized at this level...is mind blowing.

We awaited the news together... 

And were thrilled to hear he was a finalist...

 

At the celebration, a few hours after the announcement was made public, I told the entire news room, that Rowan always wanted to save the world.  The first time he told us that when he was 3 years old, in ICU, after his first brain surgery.  I explained that while he definitely changed a lot of us, the work Lisa, and all of them, did on this story, and with the countless other stories they bring to the masses, they were helping Rowan achieve that goal.  It takes a village, and they were all indeed changing if not helping him save the world.

I cannot thank Lisa Krantz (photographer), the Editor in Chief, the Managing Editor, Text editor, Photo editor, and the entire staff of the San Antonio Express News for all your hard work.  Rowan is no doubt smiling down, proud of how far reaching his message of hope is spreading, excited about how many people will hopefully now remember to "Love your Life!".

For the rest of time, if someone looks up the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Awards Finalist at http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year they will see Lisa's touching photos of Rowan's life and legacy, in the 2018 Featured News category finalists.  That is a big deal, a really big deal!

Here are just a few of them...

As the Pulitzer Prize Board describes the photos and story, which also perfectly describes Rowan's life, it was a "... physical, spiritual and emotional journey".

Congratulations Lisa and the San Antonio Express-News.

Thank you for truly expanding Rowan's reach...

And remember everyone... "Love Your Life!"