Long before I officially became a journalist, I made it a goal of mine to someday win a Pulitzer Prize.

The Pulitzer Prize is given out in 21 categories for everything from feature writing to breaking news photography to poetry and music. For journalism alone, there are 14 categories.

The Pulitzer Prize was established in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-born newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer was “a passionate crusader against dishonest government, a fierce hawk-like competitor who did not shrink from sensationalism in circulation struggles, and a visionary who richly endowed his profession,” according to the Pulitzer Prize website. He reshaped newspaper journalism and was the first to call for the training of journalists at the university level in a school of journalism.

Pulitzer made provision for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prize in his 1904 will, and the first Pulitzer Prize was given out in 1917. While many of the awards have gone to major newspapers over the years, there have also been lesser-known newspapers who have brought home big awards.

With this aspiration of mine to win a Pulitzer Prize, it is inspirational to see others at small newspapers — some at even smaller papers than the Tribune — win.

Last week when the awards were announced for the year, it quickly became known that Art Cullen, the lead editorial writer for the Storm Lake Times in Iowa, was the winner for editorial writing.

The Storm Lake Times is a twice-weekly, 3,000-circulation paper, and Cullen works as not only editorial writer but also as a part-time reporter and essentially the city editor as well.

The newspaper is run by his family members. His brother, John, is the publisher, and his wife and son are also part of the effort.

Storm Lake, Iowa, is a meatpacking community with 11,000 people, many of who are immigrants.

Cullen won “for editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa,” according to the Pulitzer Prize website.

While I will always look up to the journalism at bigger papers and the resources they have, I was reminded that large papers are not the only ones that can have a major impact.

It’s our role as a newspaper to not only inform and educate our readers, but also to serve as a watchdog for the community. When we see something that raises red flags, it’s our duty to look into it.

Thank you for placing your trust in us.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.