The will of Joseph Pulitzer, a crusading newspaper journalist, provided for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes. Since its inception in 1917, the prizes have recognized the best in journalism, letters, drama and music. Many consider it the most prestigious award a journalist or author can achieve.
Click here for a list of winners in all categories since 1917. Past winners include "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker (fiction) and "A Thousand Days" by Arthur Schlesinger (biography or autobiography.)