Pulitzer Prize for Criticism

The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by Columbia University. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.

Winners and citations

The Criticism Pulitzer has been awarded to one person annually except in 1992 when it was not awarded—43 prizes in 44 years 1970–2013. No person has won it twice.

• 1970: Ada Louise Huxtable, The New York Times, "for distinguished criticism during 1969"
• 1971: Harold C. Schonberg, The New York Times, "for his music criticism during 1970"
• 1972: Frank Peters Jr., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "for his music criticism during 1971"
• 1973: Ronald Powers, Chicago Sun-Times, "for his critical writing about television during 1972"
• 1974: Emily Genauer, Newsday, "for her critical writing about art and artists"
• 1975: Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, "for his film criticism during 1974"
• 1976: Alan M. Kriegsman, The Washington Post, "for his critical writing about dance during 1975"
• 1977: William McPherson, The Washington Post, "for his contribution to 'Book World'"
• 1978: Walter Kerr, New York Times, "for articles on the theater in 1977 and throughout his long career"
• 1979: Paul Gapp, Chicago Tribune, architecture
• 1980: William A. Henry III, The Boston Globe, "for critical writing about television"
• 1981: Jonathan Yardley, Washington Star, "for his book reviews"
• 1982: Martin Bernheimer, Los Angeles Times, "for classical music criticism"
• 1983: Manuela Hoelterhoff, The Wall Street Journal, "for her wide-ranging criticism on the arts and other subjects."
• 1984: Paul Goldberger, The New York Times, "for architectural criticism"
• 1985: Howard Rosenberg, Los Angeles Times, "for his television criticism"
• 1986: Donal Henahan, The New York Times, "for his music criticism"
• 1987: Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times, "for his book reviews."
• 1988: Tom Shales, The Washington Post, "for his television criticism"
• 1989: Michael Skube, The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina), "for his writing about books and other literary topics"
• 1990: Allan Temko, San Francisco Chronicle, "for his architecture criticism"
• 1991: David Shaw, Los Angeles Times, "for his critiques of the way in which the media, including his own paper, reported the McMartin preschool trial"
• 1992: no award given
• 1993: Michael Dirda, The Washington Post, "for his book reviews"
• 1994: Lloyd Schwartz, Boston Phoenix, "for his skillful and resonant classical music criticism"
• 1995: Margo Jefferson, The New York Times, "for her book reviews and other cultural criticism"
• 1996: Robert Campbell, The Boston Globe, "for his knowledgeable writing on architecture"
• 1997: Tim Page, The Washington Post, "for his lucid and illuminating music criticism"
• 1998: Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times, "for her passionate, intelligent writing on books and contemporary literature"
• 1999: Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, "for his lucid coverage of city architecture, including an influential series supporting the development of Chicago's lakefront area"
• 2000: Henry Allen, The Washington Post, "for his fresh and authoritative writing on photography"
• 2001: Gail Caldwell, The Boston Globe, "for her insightful observations on contemporary life and literature"
• 2002: Justin Davidson, Newsday, "for his crisp coverage of classical music that captures its essence"
• 2003: Stephen Hunter, The Washington Post, "for his authoritative film criticism that is both intellectually rewarding and a pleasure to read"
• 2004: Dan Neil, Los Angeles Times, "for his one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural observations"
• 2005: Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal, "for his reviews that elucidated the strengths and weaknesses of film with rare insight, authority and wit"
• 2006: Robin Givhan, The Washington Post, "for her witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism"
• 2007: Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly, "for his zestful, wide ranging restaurant reviews, expressing the delight of an erudite eater"
• 2008: Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe, "for his penetrating and versatile command of the visual arts, from film and photography to painting"
• 2009: Holland Cotter, The New York Times, "for his wide ranging reviews of art, from Manhattan to China, marked by acute observation, luminous writing and dramatic storytelling"
• 2010: Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post, "for her refreshingly imaginative approach to dance criticism, illuminating a range of issues and topics with provocative comments and original insights"
• 2011: Sebastian Smee, The Boston Globe, "for his vivid and exuberant writing about art, often bringing great works to life with love and appreciation"
• 2012: Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe, "for his smart, inventive film criticism, distinguished by pinpoint prose and an easy traverse between the art house and the big-screen box office"
• 2013: Philip Kennicott, The Washington Post, "for his eloquent and passionate essays on art and the social forces that underlie it, a critic who always strives to make his topics and targets relevant to readers"
• 2014: Inga Saffron, The Philadelphia Inquirer, "for her criticism of architecture that blends expertise, civic passion and sheer readability into arguments that consistently stimulate and surprise"
• 2015: Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times "for savvy criticism that uses shrewdness, humor and an insider’s view to show how both subtle and seismic shifts in the cultural landscape affect television."