The 1917 Pulitzer Prizes were the very first to be presented. There were only four categories - the others that had been specified in Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...

's bequest were phased in over the next few years. The winners were selected by the Columbia University trustees. The first prize winner received $2000. That award was given to French Ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand, who wrote the best book about American history. Herbert Bayard Swope won a $1000 prize for reporting. ("Columbia Awards Pulitzer Prizes," New York Times, 9 June 1917, p. 10)

Journalism awards

• Editorial Writing
  Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
  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...
  
  :
  • New York Tribune
    New York Tribune
    The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
    
    , for an editorial article on the first anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania
    RMS Lusitania
    RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
    
    , (no author named).
• Reporting
  Pulitzer Prize for Reporting
  The Pulitzer Prize for Reporting was awarded from 1917 to 1947.-Winners:*1917: Herbert Bayard Swope, New York World, for articles which appeared October 10, October 15 and from November 4 daily to November 22, 1916, inclusive, entitled, "Inside the German Empire."*1918: Harold A...
  
  :
  • Herbert Bayard Swope
    Herbert Bayard Swope
    Herbert Bayard Swope was a U.S. editor, journalist and intimate of the Algonquin Round Table. Swope spent most of his career at the New York World newspaper. He was the first and three time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting...
    
    , New York World
    New York World
    The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
    
    , for articles which appeared October 10, October 15 and from November 4 daily to November 22, 1916, inclusive, entitled, "Inside the German Empire."

Letters and Drama Awards

• Biography or Autobiography
  Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
  The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author.-1910s:* 1917: Julia Ward Howe by Laura E...
  
  :
  • Laura E. Richards
    Laura E. Richards
    Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's, biographies, poetry, and others. A well-known children's poem for which she is noted is the literary nonsense verse Eletelephony.Her father...
    
     and Maud Howe Elliott
    Maud Howe Elliott
    Maud Howe Elliott was an American writer, most notable for her Pulitzer prize-winning collaboration with her sister, Laura E. Richards, on their mother's biography The Life of Julia Ward Howe...
    
     assisted by Florence Howe Hall, Julia Ward Howe (Houghton).
• History
  Pulitzer Prize for History
  The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography...
  
  :
  • Jean Jules Jusserand
    Jean Jules Jusserand
    Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand was a French author and diplomat. He was the French ambassador to the United States during World War I.-Career:...
    
    , With Americans of Past and Present Days (Scribner
    Charles Scribner's Sons
    Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
    
    )