Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prizes were first given in 1917 under the will of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. Columbia University confers them each spring on the advice of the Pulitzer Prize Board, across journalism, drama, music and books. The book categories cover fiction, the history of the United States, biography, memoir or autobiography, poetry and general nonfiction. Poetry joined the lineup in 1922, general nonfiction in 1962 and memoir in 2021.

For each book category, a jury of five judges reads the year's entries and forwards three finalists, unranked, to the Board. The Board then votes, and it can also give no award in a category or, with a three-fourths vote, choose a book the jury did not nominate. Results are released in early May, with the two other finalists in every category named alongside the winner. Each book winner receives $15,000 and a certificate.

Books published during the preceding calendar year. Most book categories require an American author, and the History prize is limited to books on the history of the United States.