It didn't take The Washington Post long to boast about its four Pulitzer Prizes today, issuing a press release in which it called them “One of the world's most prestigious journalism awards.”

In announcing the wins to staff, Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli also stated: “None of us comes to work every day with the aim of winning a Pulitzer, but it sure is nice when it happens. It is even nicer when it happens to so many colleagues, current and past, at the same time. And what makes this all the more satisfying is that the range and subject of talents being recognized is wide.”

See the entire press release below:

The Washington Post Wins Four Pulitzer Prizes
Gene Weingarten, Sarah Kaufman among winners
Post Contributing Editor David Hoffman also wins Pulitzer for The Dead Hand

WASHINGTON-April 12, 2010-The Washington Post was awarded four Pulitzer Prize awards and one finalist nod for its reporting, commentary, criticism and feature writing, it was announced today by the Pulitzer Prize Board. One of the world's most prestigious journalism awards, the coveted prize was awarded to Gene Weingarten, Sarah Kaufman, Kathleen Parker and Anthony Shadid for their work at The Post last year.

“Amid all the changes in our industry, the recognition of our journalists for a such a wide range of work is an important measure of The Post's continuing commitment to creative, ambitious, standard-setting journalism,” said Marcus Brauchli, Executive Editor. “We're enormously proud of our colleagues.”

The Washington Post won Pulitzers in the following categories:

Feature Writing: Gene Weingarten for his devastating report on parents who accidentally leave their children in cars, often resulting in death. “Fatal Distraction” was not about criminally negligent parents, but rather about all of us: our imperfect memory systems, over scheduled, overcommitted lives, as well as how we reflexively and defensively demonize those who have made such a horrific mistake. The story that resulted was so unexpected that it changed people's hearts and minds, and may soon help to change the law.
For the full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html

Criticism: Sarah Kaufman for her refreshing, original and conversation-kindling critical essays on dance. For instance, her writing has shaken the establishment with arguments that our obsession with George Balanchine has held dance back or that Cary Grant is an overlooked dance artist. For some, dance may seem like an unlikely perch for writing about culture, but with fearlessness, intelligence and original spark, Kaufman helps shape her readers' perceptions of it as an art and as a fundamental human behavior. Such writing has made her work compulsory reading for those in the field and beyond.
Read Kaufman's essays here: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/articles/sarah+kaufman/

Commentary: Kathleen Parker for her column that runs twice a week in The Post and in more than 400 other newspapers. Parker's work is funny, lively, smart, perceptive and always holds readers' attention. No subject it too charged for her-her columns have covered everything from Obama to Palin, Twitter to Afghanistan. She will take on anything people care about (or should care about) and her columns are shaped by common sense, experience, old-fashioned reporting and wry appreciation of human frailty.
Read Parker's columns here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2008/10/20/LI2008102001816.html

International Reporting: Anthony Shadid for his reporting on the lasting scars and legacies in Iraq of the American invasion and occupation. Shadid also won the 2004 Pulitzer for International Reporting for coverage of the impact of the U.S invasion on Iraq's people. Shadid left The Post at the end of 2009.

In addition, The Post's contributing editor David Hoffman, a former assistant managing editor for foreign news, won a Pulitzer Prize for his book The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy.

The Washington Post also was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for its reporting on the Fort Hood massacre, a rampage against the U.S. Army carried out by one of its own officers, Maj. Nidal M. Hasan.

The Washington Post has won 64 Pulitzer Prizes since 1936.