Craig F. Walker is an American photojournalist. In 2010, Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography "for his intimate portrait of a teenager who joins the Army at the height of insurgent violence in Iraq, poignantly searching for meaning and manhood.[1] In 2012 he won again the same prize in the category “Feature Photography”" for his photodocumentary "Welcome Home".[2] He is on staff of Boston Globe.
After growing up in York, Pennsylvania, Walker attended the Rhode Island School of Photography, graduating in 1986.[3] He worked for Marlboro Enterprise and The Berkshire Eagle prior to taking a position with The Denver Post in 1998. He has covered national and international stories. In 2004, he won first place from the National Press Photographers Association for a photographic series on child camel jockeys in Kuwait.
Walker was inspired to embark on the series that netted him his Pulitzer by a conversation amongst editors wondering what kind of person, in 2007, would sign up for the military knowing he would be going to war.[3] Walker spent over two years photographing American teenager Ian Fisher in his transition from high school student to soldier.[4] Published in September 2009, "Ian Fisher: American Soldier" earned a grand prize in the 2009 "Photos of the Year" competition hosted by Editor & Publisher before garnering for Walker the 2010 Pulitzer Prize.[1] The series includes not only photographs, but also video and multimedia.[3] The series also earned The Hillman Prize for Photojournalism, sharing the award with "Below the Line: Childhood Poverty in Colorado", also published by The Denver Post.[5]
In 2012, Walker won a second Pulitzer for Feature Photography "for his compassionate chronicle of an honorably discharged veteran, home from Iraq and struggling with a severe case of post-traumatic stress."