Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Iconic Plays That Shaped American Theater

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the most prestigious honors in American theater, celebrating outstanding works that have made a significant impact on the stage. Awarded annually, it recognizes a distinguished play by an American author, preferably one that deals with American life and has been produced in the United States during the previous year. From groundbreaking dramas to bold new voices, the prize has highlighted some of the most influential works in theatrical history.

Here's a closer look at what the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is, how it works, and why it matters.

What is the history of the Pulitzer Prizes?

The Pulitzer Prizes were established by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, who left money to Columbia University upon his death in 1911. A portion of his bequest was used to found the School of Journalism in 1912 and to establish the Pulitzer Prizes, which were first awarded in 1917.

What is the Pulitzer Prize for Drama?

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the categories awarded each year in the fields of Letters, Drama, and Music. It was among the original awards established when the  program began in 1917 with seven categories. The prize honors a theatrical production staged in the United States during the previous calendar year. Prior to 2007, eligibility for the Drama Prize followed the Broadway "season," running from March 1 to March 2 of the following year, rather than the standard calendar year used for most other Pulitzer categories.

What are the other Pulitzer Prize categories?

Aside from the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, there are 22 other Pulitzer categories. They include: Audio Reporting, Biography, Breaking News Reporting, Breaking News Photography, Commentary, Criticism, Editorial Writing, Explanatory Reporting, Feature Photography, Feature Writing, Fiction, General Nonfiction, History, Illustrated Reporting and Commentary, International Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Local Reporting, Memoir or Autobiography, Music, National Reporting, Poetry, and Public Service.

What do Pulitzer Prize winner's receive?

All winners receive a certificate and $15K, except in the Public Service category, where the winner receives a gold medal.

When are the Pulitzer Prizes announced?

The Pulitzer Prizes are announced in May from Columbia University. The ceremony is usually live streamed. The 2025 announcement will take place on Monday, May 5 at 3pm ET. 

Who votes for the Pulitzer Prizes?

The 19-member Pulitzer Board is composed mainly of leading journalists or news executives from media outlets across the U.S., as well as five academics or persons in the arts. The dean of Columbia Journalism School and the administrator of the Prizes are nonvoting members. The chair rotates annually to the most senior member or members. The board is self-perpetuating in the election of members. Voting members may serve three terms of three years each for a total of nine years.

How many musicals have won a Pulitzer Prize?

In the history of the Pulitzer Prizes, only ten musicals have earned the special distinction. They are: Of Thee I Sing (1932), South Pacific (1950), Fiorello! (1960), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), A Chorus Line (1976), Sunday in the Park with George (1985), Rent (1996), Next to Normal (2010), Hamilton (2016), and A Strange Loop (2020). Additionally, Oklahoma! was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944.

Of these musicals, only two did not go on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. Sunday in the Park with George lost to La Cage aux Folles and Next to Normal lost to Billy Elliot.

Have any writers earned multiple Pulitzer Prizes for Drama?

Yes, eight playwrights have won more than once. Eugene O'Neill has four wins; Edward Albee and Robert E. Sherwood each have three wins; August Wilson, Tennessee Williams, George S. Kaufman, Thornton Wilder, and Lynn Nottage each have two wins. Nottage is also the only woman with more than one win. 

Past Pulitzer Prize winners include:

2024- Primary Trust, by Eboni Booth
2023- English, by Sanaz Toossi
2022- Fat Ham, by James Ijames
2021- The Hot Wing King, by Katori Hall
2020- A Strange Loop, by Michael R. Jackson
2019- Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury
2018- Cost of Living, by Martyna Majok
2017- Sweat, by Lynn Nottage
2016- Hamilton, by Lin-Manuel Miranda
2015- Between Riverside and Crazy, by Stephen Adly Guirgis
2014- The Flick, by Annie Baker
2013- Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar
2012- Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Alegría Hudes
2011- Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris
2010- Next to Normal, by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
2009- Ruined, by Lynn Nottage
2008- August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts
2007- Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire
2005- Doubt, a parable, by John Patrick Shanley
2004- I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright
2003- Anna in the Tropics, by Nilo Cruz
2002- Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks
2001- Proof, by David Auburn
2000- Dinner With Friends, by Donald Margulies
1999- Wit, by Margaret Edson
1998- How I Learned to Drive, by Paula Vogel
1996- Rent, by Jonathan Larson
1995- The Young Man From Atlanta, by Horton Foote
1994- Three Tall Women, by Edward Albee
1993- Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, by Tony Kushner
1992- The Kentucky Cycle, by Robert Schenkkan
1991- Lost in Yonkers, by Neil Simon
1990- The Piano Lesson, by August Wilson
1989- The Heidi Chronicles, by Wendy Wasserstein
1988- Driving Miss Daisy, by Alfred Uhry
1987- Fences, by August Wilson
1985- Sunday in the Park With George, by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
1984- Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet
1983- Night, Mother, by Marsha Norman
1982- A Soldier's Play, by Charles Fuller
1981- Crimes of the Heart, by Beth Henley
1980- Talley's Folly, by Lanford Wilson
1979- Buried Child, by Sam Shepard
1978- The Gin Game, by Donald L. Coburn
1977- The Shadow Box, by Michael Cristofer
1976- A Chorus Line, by Michael Bennett
1975- Seascape, by Edward Albee
1973- That Championship Season, by Jason Miller
1971- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, by Paul Zindel
1970- No Place To Be Somebody, by Charles Gordone
1969- The Great White Hope, by Howard Sackler
1967- A Delicate Balance, by Edward Albee
1965- The Subject Was Roses, by Frank D. Gilroy
1962- How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, by Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows
1961- All The Way Home, by Tad Mosel
1960- Fiorello!, by Jerome Weidman, George Abbott, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
1959- J. B., by Archibald MacLeish
1958- Look Homeward, Angel, by Ketti Frings
1957- Long Day's Journey Into Night, by Eugene O'Neill
1956- Diary of Anne Frank, by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich
1955- Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams
1954- The Teahouse of the August Moon, by John Patrick
1953- Picnic, by William Inge
1952- The Shrike, by Joseph Kramm
1950- South Pacific, by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan
1949- Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller
1948- A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams
1946- State of the Union, by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay
1945- Harvey, by Mary Chase
1943- The Skin of Our Teeth, by Thornton Wilder
1941- There Shall Be No Night, by Robert E. Sherwood
1940- The Time of Your Life, by William Saroyan
1939- Abe Lincoln in Illinois, by Robert E. Sherwood
1938- Our Town, by Thornton Wilder
1937- You Can't Take It With You, by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
1936- Idiots Delight, by Robert E. Sherwood
1935- The Old Maid, by Zoe Akins
1934- Men in White, by Sidney Kingsley
1933- Both Your Houses, by Maxwell Anderson
1932- Of Thee I Sing, by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin
1931- Alison's House, by Susan Glaspell
1930- The Green Pastures, by Marc Connelly
1929- Street Scene, by Elmer L. Rice
1928- Strange Interlude, by Eugene O'Neill
1927- In Abraham's Bosom, by Paul Green
1926- Craig's Wife, by George Kelly
1925- They Knew What They Wanted, by Sidney Howard
1924- Hell-Bent Fer Heaven, by Hatcher Hughes
1923- Icebound, by Owen Davis
1922- Anna Christie, by Eugene O'Neill
1921- Miss Lulu Bett, by Zona Gale
1920- Beyond the Horizon, by Eugene O'Neill
1918- Why Marry?, by Jesse Lynch Williams

Which winning shows are running on Broadway now?

Right now, only Hamilton and Glengarry Glen Ross can be seen on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers and Palace Theatres respectively. In the past year, English and Our Town also enjoyed Broadway runs.