Franklin is the first woman to win a Special Citation Pulitzer.

On Monday, April 15th, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. The big surprise was that Aretha Franklin, who passed away in August, won a Pulitzer Prize. This comes a year after Kendrick Lamar won the award for his landmark DAMN. album.

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Franklin was honored with a Special Citation Pulitzer. She is the first woman to earn a Special Citation award. (The prize first awarded in 1930.) The last time someone won a Special Citation was when country music legend Hank Williams won it in 2010.

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Pulitzer says they awarded Franklin for her "contributions to American music and culture."

H/T: Pitchfork