Pulitzer Prize for Poetry facts for kids

The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is a special award given each year in the United States. It's one of the many Pulitzer Prizes for books, plays, and music. This award started in 1922. It honors an amazing book of original poems written by an American author. The book must have been published in the year before the award is given.

Since 1980, they also announce the other two books that were close to winning. These are called "finalists."

Before this award began, in 1918 and 1919, there were special awards for poetry books. These were called the Columbia University Poetry Prize. They were funded by a group called The Poetry Society. You can learn more about these special awards in the Special Pulitzers for Letters section.

Who Has Won the Poetry Prize?

From 1922 to 2013, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry was given out 92 times. In 2008, two poets won, but in 1946, no award was given. Some poets have won the prize more than once. For example, Robert Frost won it four times!

Early Poetry Prizes (1918-1919)

Before the official Pulitzer Prize for Poetry started, these special awards were given:

Poetry Winners from 1920s to 1970s

Here are the poets who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry between 1922 and 1979:

Poetry Winners from the 1980s

Here are the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry during the 1980s:

Poetry Winners from the 1990s

Here are the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry during the 1990s:

Poetry Winners from the 2000s

Here are the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry during the 2000s:

Poetry Winners from the 2010s

Here are the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry during the 2010s:

Poetry Winners from the 2020s

Here are the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry from 2020 to the present:

Poets with Multiple Wins and Nominations

Some poets have been recognized by the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry more than once. The special prizes from 1918 and 1919 are also counted here.

Multiple Wins

Multiple Nominations

The following poets have been nominated for the award two or more times. Years in bold mean the poet won the prize that year.

Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry four times between 1924 and 1943. Edwin Arlington Robinson won three prizes in the 1920s. Several other poets, all men, have won the award twice.

Carl Sandburg won one of the special poetry prizes in 1919. He then won the official Poetry Pulitzer in 1951.

Only three women have been nominated multiple times: Adrienne Rich (4 times), and Louise Glück and Diane Seuss (2 times each).

See also

In Spanish: Premio Pulitzer de Poesía para niños

• American poetry
• List of poetry awards