| Year | Recipient | Authors | Type | Ref. |
|---|
| 1980 | Nine | Mario Fratti
Maury Yeston | — | |
| 1981 | Child of the Sun | Damien Leake | Production Award | |
| 1982 | Portrait of Jennie | Enid Futterman
Howard Marren
Dennis Rosa | — | |
| 1983 | — | — | — | — |
| 1984 | Brownstone | Andrew Cadiff
Peter Larson
Josh Rubens | — | |
| 1984 | Papushko | Andrew Teirstein | — | |
| 1985 | — | — | — | — |
| 1986 | Break, Agnes, Eulogy for Mr. Hamm, and Lucky Nurse | Michael John LaChiusa | — | |
| 1986 | Juba | Wendy Lamb
Russell Walden | — | |
| 1987 | Henry and Ellen | Michael John LaChiusa | — | |
| 1987 | Lucky Stiff | Lynn Ahrens
Stephen Flaherty | — | |
| 1987 | No Way to Treat a Lady | Douglas J. Cohen | — | |
| 1988 | Lucky Stiff | Lynn Ahrens
Stephen Flaherty | — | |
| 1988 | Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York | Michael Devon
Todd Graff | — | |
| 1988 | Superbia | Jonathan Larson | — | |
| 1989 | Juan Darién: A Carnival Mass | Elliot Goldenthal
Julie Taymor | — | — |
| 1990 | Down the Stream | Michael Goldenberg | — | |
| 1990 | Swamp Gas and Shallow Feelings | Randy Buck
Shirlee Strother
Jack E. Williams | — | |
| 1990 | Whatnot | Howard Crabtree
Dick Gallagher
Mark Waldrop | — | |
| 1991 | The Times | Joe Keenan
Brad Ross | — | |
| 1991 | Opal | Robert N. Lindsey | — | |
| 1992 | The Molly Maguires | Sid Cherry
William Strempek | — | |
| 1992 | Avenue X | John Jiler
Ray Leslee | — | |
| 1993 | Allos Makar | Scott Frankel
Michael Korie
Valeria Vasilevsky | — | |
| 1993 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Nagle Jackson
Robert Sprayberry | — | |
| 1993 | Avenue X | John Jiler
Ray Leslee | — | |
| 1993 | Christina Alberta's Father | Polly Pen | — | |
| 1994 | The Sweet Revenge of Louisa Mae | Mark Campbell
Burton Cohen
Stephen Hoffman | — | |
| 1994 | The Gig | Douglas Cohen | — | |
| 1994 | Doll | Scott Frankel
Michael Korie | — | |
| 1994 | Rent | Jonathan Larson | — | |
| 1995 | Splendora | Mark Campbell
Stephen Hoffman
Peter Webb | — | |
| 1996 | Bobos | James McBride
Ed Shockley | — | |
| 1996 | The Hidden Sky | Kate Chisholm
Peter Foley | — | |
| 1996 | The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea | Andy Chukerman
Karole Foreman | — | |
| 1997 | Barrio Babies | Fernando Rivas
Luis Santeiro | — | |
| 1997 | The Ballad of Little Jo | Mike Reid
Sarah Schlesinger | — | |
| 1998 | Little Women | Alison Hubbard
Allan Knee
Kim Oler | — | |
| 1998 | Summer | Erik Haagensen
Paul Schwartz | — | |
| 1999 | Bat Boy: The Musical | Keythe Farley
Brian Flemming
Laurence O'Keefe | — | |
| 1999 | Blood on the Dining Room Floor | Jonathan Sheffer | — | |
| 1999 | Dream True: My Life with Vernon Dexter | Ricky Ian Gordon
Tina Landau | — | |
| 1999 | The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin | Kirsten Childs | — | |
| 1999 | The Singing | Lenora Champagne
Daniel Levy | — | |
| 2000 | Bat Boy: The Musical | Keythe Farley
Brian Flemming
Laurence O'Keefe | — | |
| 2000 | Suburb | Robert S. Cohen
David Javerbaum | — | |
| 2000 | The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin | Kirsten Childs | — | |
| 2001 | Heading East | Leon Ko
Robert Lee | Reading Award | |
| 2001 | The Spitfire Grill | Fred Alley
James Valcq | Production Award | |
| 2002 | The Fabulist | David Spencer
Stephen Witkin | Reading Award | |
| 2002 | The Tutor | Andrew Gerle
Maryrose Wood | Reading Award | |
| 2003 | Once Upon a Time in New Jersey | Susan DiLallo
Stephen A. Weiner | — | |
| 2003 | The Devil in the Flesh | Jeffrey Lunden
Arthur Perlman | — | |
| 2003 | The Tutor | Andrew Gerle
Maryrose Wood | — | |
| 2004 | To Paint the Earth | Daniel Frederick Levin
Jonathan Portera | Reading Award | |
| 2004 | Unlock'd | Sam Carner
Derek Gregor | Reading Award | |
| 2004 | The Tutor | Andrew Gerle
Maryrose Wood | Production Award | |
| 2005 | Dust & Dreams: Celebrating Sandburg | David Hudson
Paul Libman | Reading Award | |
| 2005 | Broadcast | Nathan Christensen
Scott Murphy | Reading Award | |
| 2005 | Red | Brian Lowdermilk
Marcus Stevens | Reading Award | |
| 2006 | The Yellow Wood | Michelle Elliott
Danny Larsen | Reading Award | |
| 2006 | True Fans | Chris Miller
Bill Rosenfield
Nathan Tysen | Reading Award | |
| 2006 | Grey Gardens | Scott Frankel
Michael Korie
Doug Wright | Production Award | |
| 2007 | Calvin Berger | Barry Wyner | Reading Award | |
| 2007 | Main-Travelled Roads | Dave Hudson
Paul Libman | Reading Award | |
| 2008 | Alive at Ten | Kirsten A. Guenther
Ryan Scott Oliver | Reading Award | |
| 2008 | Kingdom | Aaron Jafferis
Ian Williams | Reading Award | |
| 2008 | See Rock City & Other Destinations | Brad Alexander
Adam Mathias | Reading Award | |
| 2009 | Cheer Wars | Karlan Judd
Gordon Leary | Reading Award | |
| 2009 | Rosa Parks | Scott Ethier
Jeff Hughes | Reading Award | |
| 2010 | Buddy's Tavern | Raymond De Felitta
Alison Louise Hubbard
Kim Oler | Reading Award | |
| 2010 | Rocket Science | Patricia Cotter
Jason Rhyne
Stephen Weiner | Reading Award | |
| 2011 | Gloryana | Andrew Gerle | Reading Award | |
| 2011 | Dogfight | Peter Duchan
Benj Pasek
Justin Paul | Production Award | |
| 2012 | Witness Uganda | Matt Gould
Griffin Matthews | Reading Award | |
| 2013 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Dave Malloy | Production Award | [1] |
| 2013 | The Kid Who Would Be Pope | Tom Megan
Jack Megan | Production Award | [1] |
| 2014 | Witness Uganda | Matt Gould
Griffin Matthews | Production Award | |
| 2015 | String | Adam Gwon
Sarah Hammond | Production Award | [2] |
| 2016 | Cost of Living | Timothy Huang | Reading Award | [3] |
| 2016 | We Live in Cairo | Patrick Lazour
Daniel Lazour | Reading Award | [3] |
| 2016 | Hadestown | Anaïs Mitchell | Production Award | [3] |
| 2017 | What I Learned from People | Will Aronson
Hue Park | Production Award | [4] |
| 2018 | Gun & Powder | Ross Baum
Angelica Chéri | Studio Production Award | [5] |
| 2018 | KPOP | Jason Kim
Helen Park
Max Vernon
Woodshed Collective | Studio Production Award | [5] |
| 2019 | Bhangin’ It | Mike Lew
Rehana Lew Mirza
Sam Willmott | Studio Production Award | [6] |
| 2019 | The Lucky Ones | Abigail Bengson
Shaun Bengson
Sarah Gancher | Studio Production Award | [6] |
| 2020 | In the Green | Grace McLean | Reading Award | [7] |
| 2020 | The Loophole | Zeniba Now
Jay Adana | Reading Award | [7] |
| 2021 | The Monster | Chelsea Marcantel
Michael Mahler
Alan Schmuckler | Studio Production Award | [8] |
| 2021 | Oratorio for Living Things | Heather Christian | Studio Production Award | [8] |
| 2021 | TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix | EllaRose Chary
Brandon James Gwinn | Studio Production Award | [8] |
| 2022 | Driving in Circles | Jay Eddy | Reading Award | [9] |
| 2023 | Lewis Loves Clark | Dylan MarcAurele
Mike Ross | Reading Award | [10] |
| 2023 | Marie in Tomorrow Land | Maggie-Kate Coleman
Erato A. Kremmyda | Reading Award | [10] |
| 2024 | Far From The Tree | Robert Maggio
Kristin Maloney
Justin Warner | Studio Production Award | [11] |
| 2024 | Lighthouse | abs wilson
Veronica Mansour | Reading Award | [11] |
| 2025 | Black Girl in Paris | Jacinth Greywoode
AriDy Nox | - | [12] |
| 2025 | Helsinki | Barrett Riggins
Graham Techler | - | [12] |
| 2025 | The Dark Lady | Sophie Boyce
Veronica Mansour | - | [12] |
