The Guardian and Washington Post have shared the Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism for a series of stories on US electronic spying.
Their reporting was based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Among other winners of the top prize in US journalism was the Boston Globe, for breaking news reporting.
Two staff writers of the Reuters news agency were awarded the prize for international reporting.
The Pulitzer Prizes are awarded by the Columbia University journalism school.
In giving the top prize to The Guardian US and the Washington Post, the Pulitzer committee said the Guardian helped "through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy".
It said the Post's stories were "marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security".
Mr Snowden, in a statement published by The Guardian, called the award "a vindication for everyone who believes that the public has a role in government.
"We owe it to the efforts of the brave reporters and their colleagues who kept working in the face of extraordinary intimidation," added Mr Snowden, who has been charged with espionage in the US and is currently a fugitive in Russia.
Pulitzer Prize Winners
Pulitzer Prize Winners
This'll cheer Jim up..
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Pulitzer Prize Winners
You are a troublemaker, Gob. But we accept you with all of your flaws, and many offsetting assets. 
Re: Pulitzer Prize Winners
IMO Snowden did the right. Thing until he fled the country. From that point on it has been one stunningly bad decsision after another.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.