The Pudding Cup
The best visual and data-driven stories of 2024
We’re excited to announce the winners of our eigth-annual Pudding Cup! Each will receive $1,500 for their hard work.
The 2024 winners
Here's to the Next 100 Sudokus
Talk about impactful journalism; since reading this story, I haven't missed the daily NYT sudoku. After an inventive data collection process and exhaustive analysis of his Sudoku career, author Vivek Rao leaves us with a timeless lesson — "Whatever life throws at you, take it one puzzle at a time, and one cell at a time."—Kevin Litman-Navarro
Votes in a Name
This story about name similarity and confusion while voting in Indian elections works well because of balance. It is a thorough exploration, yet holds the hand of someone unfamiliar with Indian politics. It has a nice blend of specific examples and expansive data. It is a visually pleasing experience that hits the right aesthetic tone for the topic.—Russell Samora
Battle of the Chocolate Bars
You may have heard that food is better in Europe, compared to the US. This is especially the case for chocolate. We really liked how this project broke down the differences between European and American chocolate standards, annotating ingredient lists and incorporating chocolate imagery into all of the charts. Moreover, readability wasn't lost when chocolate was used in the graphics, which often happens when deviating from typical chart shapes. —Matt Daniels
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The 2023 winners
Since When Does Vogue Hate Text?
I don't read Vogue. I don't remember the last time I even looked at a cover to be honest. Yet, I was instantly captivated by the story. From the jump, the premise and approach were clear and concise. All of the charts presented the right amount of information and stepped through at a very accessible pace. It felt like the author was sharing their journey as they discovered this trend. I knew it was a good piece when I was in the grocery store the next day evaluating the covers on the stand in the checkout aisle. It selfishly left me wanting a tiny bit more; what do the Vogue designers have to say about it, and did other competing magazines follow a similar trend? Maybe a part two is in order... —Russell Samora
Pavement 1933–2023
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a data story that manages to take a niche interest (or, according to the author, “an obsession at best” — I know that life well) and turn it into a universally interesting narrative. It is awesome how this piece seamlessly intertwined personal anecdotes of seeing Pavement a bagillion times, data about the band’s reunion tours in general, and viz into an experience that relayed both the history and the chaos (66 songs and 77 shows?!). But, notably, the precise data work that went into parsing decades of setlists and an equally massive discography was seriously impressive — and it was all layered with a design that matched the tone of the project, too. 11/10. —Caitlyn Ralph