1917 no award given—

1918 Ernest Poole — His Family—

1919 Booth Tarkington — The Magnificent Ambersons—

1920 no award given—

1922 Booth Tarkington — Alice Adams—

1923 Willa Cather — One of Ours—

1924 Margaret Wilson — The Able McLaughlins—

1927 Louis Bromfield — Early Autumn—

1929 Julia Peterkin — Scarlet Sister Mary—

1930 Oliver La Farge — Laughing Boy—

1931 Margaret Ayer Barnes — Years of Grace—

1933 Thomas Sigismund Stribling — The Store—

1934 Caroline Miller — Lamb in His Bosom—

1935 Josephine Winslow Johnson — Now in November—

1936 Harold L. Davis — Honey in the Horn—

1938 John Phillips Marquand — The Late George Apley—

1941 no award given—

1942 Ellen Glasgow — In This Our Life—

1943 Upton Sinclair — Dragon's Teeth—

1944 Martin Flavin — Journey in the Dark—

1945 John Hersey — A Bell for Adano—

1946 no award given—

1948 James A. Michener — Tales of the South Pacific—

1949 James Gould Cozzens — Guard of Honor—

1950 A. B. Guthrie, Jr. — The Way West—

1951 Conrad Richter — The Town—

1952 Herman Wouk — The Caine Mutiny—

1954 No award given—

1956 MacKinlay Kantor — Andersonville—

1957 No award given—

1958 James Agee — A Death in the Family (posthumous win)—

1959 Robert Lewis Taylor — The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters—

1960 Allen Drury — Advise and Consent—

1962 Edwin O'Connor — The Edge of Sadness—

1964 No award given—

1965 Shirley Ann Grau — The Keepers of the House—

1966 Katherine Anne Porter — The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter—

1969 N. Scott Momaday — House Made of Dawn—

1970 Jean Stafford — Stories of Jean Stafford—

1971 No award given—

1972 Wallace Stegner — Angle of Repose—

1973 Eudora Welty — The Optimist's Daughter—

1974 No award given—

1975 Michael Shaara — The Killer Angels—

1977 No award given—

1978 James Alan McPherson — Elbow Room—

1980 Norman Mailer — The Executioner's Song—

1983 Alice Walker — The Color Purple—

1986 Larry McMurtry — Lonesome Dove—

1987 Peter Taylor — A Summons to Memphis—

1989 Anne Tyler — Breathing Lessons—

1990 Oscar Hijuelos — The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love—

1992 Jane Smiley — A Thousand Acres—

1993 Robert Olen Butler — A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain—

1995 Carol Shields — The Stone Diaries—

1996 Richard Ford — Independence Day—

1997 Steven Millhauser — Martin Dressler The Tale of an American Dreamer—

2000 Jhumpa Lahiri — Interpreter of Maladies—

2002 Richard Russo — Empire Falls—

2004 Edward P. Jones — The Known World—

2005 Marilynne Robinson — Gilead—

2006 Geraldine Brooks — March—

2008 Junot Diaz — The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao—

2010 Paul Harding — Tinkers—

2011 Jennifer Egan — A Visit From the Goon Squad—