The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year. This was eventually converted into a full fledged prize.

The winners in this category have been:

• 1943: William Schuman, Secular Cantata No. 2: A Free Song
• 1944: Howard Hanson, Symphony No. 4
• 1945: Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring, ballet
• 1946: Leo Sowerby , The Canticle of the Sun
• 1947: Charles Ives, Symphony No. 3
• 1948: Walter Piston, Symphony No. 3
• 1949: Virgil Thomson, Louisiana Story, film score
• 1950: Gian-Carlo Menotti, The Consul , opera
• 1951: Douglas Moore , Giants in the Earth, opera
• 1952: Gail Kubik , Symphony Concertante
• 1953: no prize awarded
• 1954: Quincy Porter , Concerto Concertante for two pianos and orchestra
• 1955: Gian-Carlo Menotti, The Saint of Bleecker Street, opera
• 1956: Ernst Toch, Symphony No. 3
• 1957: Norman Dello Joio, Meditations on Ecclesiastes
• 1958: Samuel Barber, Vanessa, opera
• 1959: John La Montaine , Piano Concerto
• 1960: Elliott Carter, String Quartet No. 2
• 1961: Walter Piston, Symphony No. 7
• 1962: Robert Ward, The Crucible, opera
• 1963: Samuel Barber, Piano Concerto No. 1
• 1964: no prize awarded
• 1965: no prize awarded (See Duke Ellington)
• 1966: Leslie Bassett , Variations for Orchestra
• 1967: Leon Kirchner , Quartet No. 3 for strings and electronic tape
• 1968: George Crumb, Echoes of Time and the River
• 1969: Karel Husa, String Quartet No. 3
• 1970: Charles Wuorinen, Time's Encomium
• 1971: Mario Davidovsky, Synchronisms No. 6
• 1972: Jacob Druckman , Windows
• 1973: Elliott Carter, String quartet No. 3
• 1974: Donald Martino , Notturno
• 1975: Dominick Argento, From the Diary of Virginia Woolf
• 1976: Ned Rorem, Air Music
• 1977: Richard Wernick , Visions of Terror and Wonder
• 1978: Michael Colgrass , Deja Vu for percussion and orchestra
• 1979: Joseph Schwantner , Aftertones of Infinity
• 1980: David Del Tredici, In Memory of a Summer Day
• 1981: no prize awarded
• 1982: Roger Sessions, Concerto for Orchestra
• 1983: Ellen Zwilich, Three Movements for Orchestra (Symphony No. 1)
• 1984: Bernard Rands , Canti del Sole
• 1985: Stephen Albert , Symphony RiverRun
• 1986: George Perle, Wind Quintet No. 4, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon
• 1987: John Harbison, The Flight into Egypt
• 1988: William Bolcom, 12 New Etudes for Piano
• 1989: Roger Reynolds, Whispers Out of Time
• 1990: Mel D. Powell , Duplicates: A Concerto
• 1991: Shulamit Ran, Symphony
• 1992: Wayne Peterson , The Face of the Night
• 1993: Christopher Rouse , Trombone Concerto
• 1994: Gunther Schuller, Of Reminiscences and Reflections
• 1995: Morton Gould, Stringmusic
• 1996: George Walker, Lilacs, for soprano and orchestra
• 1997: Wynton Marsalis, Blood on the Fields, oratorio
• 1998: Aaron Jay Kernis, String Quartet No. 2, Musica Instrumentalis
• 1999: Melinda Wagner , Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion
• 2000: Lewis Spratlan , Life is a Dream, opera (awarded for concert version of Act II)
• 2001: John Corigliano, Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra
• 2002: Henry Brant, Ice Field
• 2003: John Adams, On the Transmigration of Souls
• 2004: Paul Moravec, Tempest Fantasy
• 2005: Steven Stucky, Second Concerto for Orchestra