The Pulitzer Trophy races are returning after 100 years, featuring exclusively zero-emission, all-electric aircraft. [Courtesy: National Air and Space Museum]
Key Takeaways:
The historic Pulitzer Trophy air races, originally popular in the 1920s for showcasing aviation advancements, are being revived in October 2025, exactly 100 years after their last event.
The revived races will exclusively feature zero-emission, all-electric aircraft, including eVTOL, eCTOL, eSTOL, electric rotorcraft, and electric seaplanes.
Organized by the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Institute, the event aims to honor the legacy of the original races while highlighting and accelerating the "electric age of flight" and public acceptance of new air transportation technologies.
The 2025 event will involve 24 hand-picked race crews competing in preliminary heats and a championship race around a closed-circuit course for speed.
For a few years in the 1920s, the Pulitzer Trophy was the Indianapolis 500 of air racing, drawing crowds of tens of thousands as interest in aviation spiked following World War I. The final race was conducted in October 1925.
But the event will take a new form when it returns next year
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
