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Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911), made the St Louis Post-Dispatch a success, after becoming its owner in 1878. He bought the New York World in 1883, and using illustrations, cartoons and bold news coverage, helped his paper compete against William Hearst's New York Journal in sensationalism and circulation. He improved the lives of journalists by endowing Columbia University (NY) with $2 million for the founding of a journalism school. After his death in 1911, Pulitzer Prizes (funded by Pulitzer's bequest) in journalism were awarded every year to American reporters, cartoonists, photographers and news organizations by Columbia's president. Categories for the prize include Meritorious Public Service, Reporting, Feature Writing, Criticism and Commentary and several others. When the Pulitzer Prize was first issued in 1917, it was worth $500. By 1996, it had increased to $3000.