The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing , the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction. List of winners:

• 1917: no author named, New York Times, for an editorial article on the first anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.
• 1918: no author named, Louisville Courier Journal , for the editorial article, "Vae Victis!" and the editorial, "War Has Its Compensation."
• 1919: no award given
• 1920: Harvey E. Newbranch , Evening World Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) , for an editorial entitled "Law and the Jungle."
• 1921: no award given
• 1922: Frank M. O'Brien , New York Herald, for an article entitled, "The Unknown Soldier."
• 1923: William Allen White, Emporia Gazette (Kansas) , for an editorial entitled "To an Anxious Friend."
• 1924: no author named, Boston Herald, for an editorial entitled "Who Made Coolidge?"
• 1925: no author named, Charleston News and Courier , for the editorial entitled "Plight of the South."
• 1926: Edward M. Kingsbury , New York Times, for the editorial entitled "'House of a Hundred Sorrows."
• 1927: F. Lauriston Bullard , Boston Herald, for the editorial entitled, "We Submit."
• 1928: Grover Cleveland Hall , Montgomery Advertiser , for his editorials against gangsterism, floggings and racial and religious intolerance.
• 1929: Louis Isaac Jaffe , Norfolk Virginian-Pilot , for his editorial entitled "An Unspeakable Act of Savagery," which is typical of a series of articles written on the lynching evil and in successful advocacy of legislation to prevent it.
• 1930: no award given
• 1931: Charles S. Ryckman , Fremont Tribune , for the editorial entitled "The Gentlemen from Nebraska."
• 1932: no award given
• 1933: no author named, Kansas City Star, for its series of editorials on national and international topics.
• 1934: E. P. Chase , Atlantic News-Telegraph (Iowa) , for an editorial entitled, "Where is Our Money ?"
• 1935: no award given
• 1936: Felix Morley , Washington Post, for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1936: George B. Parker , Scripps-Howard Newspapers , for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1937: John W. Owens , Baltimore Sun, for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1938: William Wesley Waymack , Register and Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa) , for his distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1939: Ronald G. Callvert , The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), for his distinguished editorial writing during the year as exemplified by the editorial entitled "My Country 'Tis of Thee."
• 1940: Bart Howard , St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for his distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1941: Reuben Maury , New York Daily News, for his distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1942: Geoffrey Parsons , New York Herald Tribune, for his distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1943: Forrest W. Seymour , Register and Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa) , for his editorials published during the calendar year 1942.
• 1944: Henry J. Haskell , Kansas City Star, for editorials written during the calendar year 1943.
• 1945: George W. Potter , Providence Journal-Bulletin , for his editorials published during the calendar year 1944, especially for his editorials on the subject of freedom of the press.
• 1946: Hodding Carter, Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, Missouri) , for a group of editorials published during the year 1945 on the subject of racial, religious and economic intolerance, as exemplified by the editorial "Go for Broke."
• 1947: William H. Grimes , Wall Street Journal, for his distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1948: Virginius Dabney, Richmond Times-Dispatch, for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1949: John H. Crider , Boston Herald, for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1950: Carl M. Saunders of Jackson Citizen Patriot (Michigan) , for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1951: William Harry Fitzpatrick , New Orleans States , for his series of editorials analyzing and clarifying a very important constitutional issue, which is described by the general heading of the series, "Government by Treaty."
• 1952: Louis LaCoss , St. Louis Globe Democrat , for his editorial entitled, "The Low Estate of Public Morals."
• 1953: Vermont Connecticut Royster, Wall Street Journal, for distinguished editorial writing during the year.
• 1954: Don Murray, Boston Herald, for a series of editorials on the "New Look" in National Defense which won wide attention for their analysis of changes in American military policy.
• 1955: Royce Howes , Detroit Free Press, for an editorial on "The Cause of a Strike," impartially and clearly analyzing the responsibility of both labor and management for a local union's unauthorized strike in July, 1954, which rendered 45,000 Chrysler Corporation workers idle and unpaid. By pointing out how and why the parent United Automobile Workers' Union ordered the local strike called off and stating that management let dissatisfaction get out of hand, the editorial made a notable contribution to public understanding of the whole program of the respective responsibilities and relationships of labor and management in this field.
• 1956: Lauren K. Soth , Register and Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa) , for the editorial inviting a farm delegation from the Soviet Union to visit Iowa, which led directly to the Russian farm visit to the U.S.
• 1957: Buford Boone of Tuscaloosa News , for his fearless and reasoned editorials in a community inflamed by a segregation issue, an outstanding example of his work being the editorial entitled, "What a Price for Peace," published on February 7, 1956.
• 1958: Harry S. Ashmore , Arkansas Gazette, for the forcefulness, dispassionate analysis and clarity of his editorials on the school integration conflict in Little Rock.
• 1959: Ralph McGill , Atlanta Constitution, for his distinguished editorial writing during 1958 as exemplified in his editorial "A Church, A School...." and for his long, courageous and effective editorial leadership.
• 1960: Lenoir Chambers , Norfolk Virginian-Pilot , for his series of editorials on the school integration problem in Virginia, as exemplified by "The Year the Schools Closed," published January 1, 1959, and "The Year the Schools Opened," published December 31, 1959.
• 1961: William J. Dorvillier , San Juan Star , for his editorials on clerical interference in the 1960 gubernatorial election in Puerto Rico.
• 1962: Thomas M. Storke, Santa Barbara News-Press , for his forceful editorials calling public attention to the activities of a semi-secret organization known as the John Birch Society.
• 1963: Ira B. Harkey, Jr. , Pascagoula Chronicle , for his courageous editorials devoted to the processes of law and reason during the integration crisis in Mississippi in 1962.
• 1964: Hazel Brannon Smith , Lexington Advertiser , for steadfast adherence to her editorial duty in the face of great pressure and opposition.
• 1965: John R. Harrison , Gainesville Sun (Florida) , for his successful editorial campaign for better housing in his city.
• 1966: Robert Lasch , St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for his distinguished editorial writing in 1965.
• 1967: Eugene Patterson , Atlanta Constitution, for his editorials during the year.
• 1968: John S. Knight , Knight Newspapers , for his distinguished editorial writing .
• 1969: Paul Greenberg , Pine Bluff Commercial (Arkansas) , for his editorials during 1968.
• 1970: Philip L. Geyelin , Washington Post, for his editorials during 1969.
• 1971: Horance G. Davis Jr. , Gainesville Sun (Florida) , for his editorials in support of the peaceful desegregation of Florida's schools.
• 1972: John Strohmeyer . Bethlehem Globe-Times (Pennsylvania) , for his editorial campaign to reduce racial tensions in Bethlehem.
• 1973: Roger B. Linscott , Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) , for his editorials during 1972.
• 1974: F. Gilman Spencer , Trentonian (New Jersey) , for his courageous campaign to focus public attention on scandals in New Jersey's state government.
• 1975: John Daniell Maurice , Charleston Daily Mail, for his editorials about the Kanawha County schoolbook controversy.
• 1976: Philip P. Kerby , Los Angeles Times, for his editorials against government secrecy and judicial censorship.
• 1977: Warren L. Lerude , Foster Church and Norman F. Cardoza , Reno Evening Gazette and Nevada State Journal , for editorials challenging the power of a local brothel keeper.
• 1978: Meg Greenfield, Washington Post, for selected samples of her work.
• 1979: Edwin M. Yoder Jr. , Washington Star
• 1980: Robert L. Bartley , Wall Street Journal
• 1981: no award given
• 1982: Jack Rosenthal, New York Times
• 1983: Editorial Board, Miami Herald, for its campaign against the detention of illegal Haitian immigrants by federal officials.
• 1984: Albert Scardino , Georgia Gazette , for his series of editorials on various local and state matters.
• 1985: Richard Aregood , Philadelphia Daily News , for his editorials on a variety of subjects.
• 1986: Jack Fuller , Chicago Tribune, for his editorials on constitutional issues.
• 1987: Jonathan Freedman , Tribune (San Diego, California) , for his editorials urging passage of the first major immigration reform act in 34 years.
• 1988: Jane Healy , Orlando Sentinel , for her series of editorials protesting overdevelopment of Florida's Orange County.
• 1989: Lois Wille , Chicago Tribune, for her editorials on a variety of local issues.
• 1990: Thomas J. Hylton , Pottstown Mercury (Pennsylvania) , for his editorials about a local bond issue for the preservation of farmland and other open space in rural Pennsylvania.
• 1991: Ron Casey , Harold Jackson and Joey Kennedy of Birmingham News (Alabama) , for their editorial campaign analyzing inequities in Alabama's tax system and proposing needed reforms.
• 1992: Maria Henson , Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky) , for her editorials about battered women in Kentucky, which focused statewide attention on the problem and prompted significant reforms.
• 1993: no award given
• 1994: R. Bruce Dold , Chicago Tribune, for his series of editorials deploring the murder of a 3-year-old boy by his abusive mother and decrying the Illinois child welfare system.
• 1995: Jeffrey Good , St. Petersburg Times (Florida) , for his editorial campaign urging reform of Florida's probate system for settling estates.
• 1996: Robert B. Semple, Jr. , New York Times, for his editorials on environmental issues.
• 1997: Michael Gartner , Daily Tribune (Ames, Iowa) , for his common sense editorials about issues deeply affecting the lives of people in his community.
• 1998: Bernard L. Stein , Riverdale Press (New York) , for his gracefully-written editorials on politics and other issues affecting New York City residents.
• 1999: Editorial Board, New York Daily News, for its effective campaign to rescue Harlem's Apollo Theater from the financial mismanagement that threatened the landmark's survival.
• 2000: John C. Bersia , Orlando Sentinel , for his passionate editorial campaign attacking predatory lending practices in the state, which prompted changes in local lending regulations.
• 2001: David Moats , Rutland Herald (Vermont) , for his even-handed and influential series of editorials commenting on the divisive issues arising from civil unions for same-sex couples.
• 2002: Alex Raksin and Bob Sipchen , Los Angeles Times, for their comprehensive and powerfully-written editorials exploring the issues and dilemmas provoked by mentally ill people dwelling on the streets.
• 2003: Cornelia Grumman , Chicago Tribune, for her powerful, freshly challenging editorials on reform of the death penalty.
• 2004: William Stall , Los Angeles Times, for his incisive editorials that analyzed California's troubled state government, prescribed remedies and served as a model for addressing complex state issues.