Pulitzer Prize for History Winners, 2005–2026

Explore the Pulitzer Prize for History winners from 2005 to 2026, including each winning work, its author and detailed book information. Browse the winners chronologically or discover which award-winning book may suit your reading preferences.

Country: United States
Founded: 1917
Frequency: Annual
Prize: $15,000
Official website: Visit site

History

Latest Pulitzer Prize for History Winner

2026 Winner

We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution

by Jill Lepore

Read about We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution

Pulitzer Prize for History Winners by Year

22 winners from 2005 to 2026, newest first.

Pulitzer Prize for History winners by year, most recent first.
Year	Winning work	Author	More information
2026	We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution	Jill Lepore	Book details
2025	Native Nations: A Millennium in North America	Kathleen DuVal	Book details
2024	No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era	Jacqueline Jones	Book details
2023	Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power	Jefferson Cowie	Book details
2022	Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America	Nicole Eustace	Book details
2021	Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America	Marcia Chatelain	Book details
2020	Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America	W. Caleb McDaniel	Book details
2019	Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom	David W. Blight	Book details
2018	The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea	Jack E. Davis	Book details
2017	Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy	Heather Ann Thompson	Book details
2016	Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America	T. J. Stiles	Book details
2015	Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People	Elizabeth A. Fenn	Book details
2014	The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832	Alan Taylor	Book details
2013	Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam	Fredrik Logevall	Book details
2012	Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention	Manning Marable	Book details
2011	The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery	Eric Foner	Book details
2010	Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World	Liaquat Ahamed	Book details
2009	The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family	Annette Gordon-Reed	Book details
2008	What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848	Daniel Walker Howe	Book details
2007	The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation	Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff	Book details
2006	Polio: An American Story	David Oshinsky	Book details
2005	Washington's Crossing	David Hackett Fischer	Book details

2026We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution
by Jill Lepore
2025Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
by Kathleen DuVal
2024No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era
by Jacqueline Jones
2023Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power
by Jefferson Cowie
2022Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America
by Nicole Eustace
2021Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America
by Marcia Chatelain
2020Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America
by W. Caleb McDaniel
2019Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
by David W. Blight
2018The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea
by Jack E. Davis
2017Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
by Heather Ann Thompson
2016Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America
by T. J. Stiles
2015Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People
by Elizabeth A. Fenn
2014The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832
by Alan Taylor
2013Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam
by Fredrik Logevall
2012Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
by Manning Marable
2011The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
by Eric Foner
2010Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World
by Liaquat Ahamed
2009The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
by Annette Gordon-Reed
2008What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848
by Daniel Walker Howe
2007The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation
by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff
2006Polio: An American Story
by David Oshinsky
2005Washington's Crossing
by David Hackett Fischer

About the Pulitzer Prize for History

The Pulitzer Prize for History rewards a distinguished and appropriately documented book on the history of the United States.

Why it began: It was one of the original book categories established through newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer’s will and first awarded in 1917.

The Pulitzer Prize for History is an annual United States award, with a prize of $15,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the latest Pulitzer Prize for History?

The most recent Pulitzer Prize for History winner in our records is “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” by Jill Lepore, awarded in 2026.

What is the list of Pulitzer Prize for History winners?

This page lists the Pulitzer Prize for History winners from 2005 to 2026, newest first, with each winning book and its author. Jump to the full list under “Pulitzer Prize for History Winners by Year”.

When was the Pulitzer Prize for History founded?

The Pulitzer Prize for History was founded in 1917.

How often is the Pulitzer Prize for History awarded?

The Pulitzer Prize for History is awarded on an annual basis.