The 2020 Drama and Music entry site will close at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 31. Physical submissions in these categories must be postmarked on or before December 31 to be eligible.
Digital uploads
For the first time, entrants in both categories may submit their materials on our Books, Drama and Music entry site, where the required entry form and $75 handling fee must also be remitted.
Those utilizing this option should submit playscripts and scores in pdf form. Web links (i.e. Vimeo or YouTube) or direct mp4 uploads are preferred for the optional Drama performance video, while hosted zip or rar links are preferred for albums. Links to Spotify are discouraged. A direct mp3/wav/flac uploader is also available; this is limited to one 100 MB file and most suitable for discrete orchestral or electroacoustic works.
Digital videos/recordings must remain active and accessible through the Prize announcement in April 2020. Please send any login credentials or updates to [email protected].
Although we plan to segue to a fully digital interface in forthcoming cycles, hard copy submissions still are permitted in both categories this year. Drama entrants must send six copies of their playscript and a copy of the optional performance video (preferably on a USB drive) to the Pulitzer office, while Music entrants must send a copy of the recording (on a USB or CD) and/or a bound copy of the score. The address is available on our Contact page. If you avail yourself of this option, please apprise us at [email protected].
New questionnaire
Returning entrants will note that the entry form now contains a questionnaire modeled after the Journalism competition. The prompts are:
Please provide a brief summary of this work (60 word limit);
Please briefly describe the origins of and inspiration for this work (250 word limit);
Please note any challenges to the originality (or accuracy, if applicable) of this work (250 word limit).
These prompts are intended to provide a contextual framework for your submission to the judges. The third prompt applies strictly to formal and/or legal challenges to the work (including allegations of fabrication and plagiarism) and should not be conflated with artistic inspiration or denoting an artist's divergent interpretation of historical events.
Category-specific guidance
Alongside art composition in the Western tradition and jazz, the Pulitzer Board welcomes submissions from the full spectrum of American music, including hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock, blues, folk, country, Latin and electronic forms. In recent years, hip-hop (Kendrick Lamar), jazz (Henry Threadgill) and downtown-oriented artists (Julia Wolfe, Ted Hearne) have been awarded the Prize and recognized as finalists. Artists working in genres with codified repertoires (such as gospel, bluegrass and traditional pop) should be mindful that submissions must meet our current creative activity requirement; new interpretations of standards are ineligible.
While an eligible production in Drama need not be the American premiere, the work may only be submitted once. For example, a work entered on the basis of a regional or university production in past cycles may not be re-entered on the basis of the New York premiere. We will be happy to refund the handling fee if this situation manifests.
Logistics
General submission guidelines for the Drama Prize may be read here. Guidelines for the Music Prize are here.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at (212) 854-3841 or [email protected]. We are open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Please note that our office will close for the holiday season on December 20, reopening on January 2 at 9:30 a.m. Accordingly, we strongly recommend submitting your entries well in advance of the deadline.
During the holiday, please send all inquiries to [email protected] in lieu of calling. Inquiries will be answered at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on December 26, December 27, December 30 and the deadline.
Best of luck!