1975
Ray Bradbury, Fr. "Bud" Kieser and reporter Bob Abernathy announce the first HUMANITAS Prize winners live on the "Today" show, in the original categories: 30 minute winner – NBC’s SUNSHINE "Angel of Doom" by: M. Charles Cohen, 60 minute winner – NBC’s THE LAW "Complaint Amended" by: Joel Oliansky and 90 minute winner – CBS’s "Larry" by: David Seltzer.

1976
A luncheon was held at the "Tale of the Cock" on La Cienega to honor the winning writers and their production teams after the announcements on the "Today" show.

1980
Dan Burke (Capital Cities Broadcasting),Tom Murphy (Capital Cities Broadcasting), John Kluge (Metromedia) and Dan Ritchie (Group W) lead a group of the twenty-five top broadcasters in a 1 million dollar commitment to the HUMANITAS vision.

1985
The Children’s Animation and Live Action categories were created. The first Children’s Animation award went to CBS’s JIM HENSON’S MUPPET BABIES "Eight Take Away One Equals Panic" by: Jeffrey Scott. The first Live Action award was awarded to CBS SCHOOLBREAK SPECIAL "The Day the Senior Class Got Married" by: Charles Purpura.

1989
Expansion of HUMANITAS educational programs to include monthly Master Writers Workshops.

1990
HUMANITAS retrospectives at the Museum of Broadcasting in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

1991
The PBS/Cable category was added. PBS’s "Three Hotels" by: Jon Robin Baitz took home the Prize in its first year.

1993
480 scripts submitted for the HUMANITAS Prize.

1994
The Feature Film category was added. "Schindler’s List" by: Steven Zaillian (Universal) was the first winner of the category. Zaillian also a finalist for "Seraching for Bobby Fischer."

2000
The Sundance category was added. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s "Love and Basketball" won the first Sundance HUMANITAS Prize. Also, September 16, 2000, Fr. "Bud" Kieser dies. Frank Desiderio is elected President and Chris Donahue is hired as the first full time Executive Director.

2002
Bill Moyers receives the first Kieser Award. The award was created in memory of Fr. Bud Kieser and is given to an individual (and/or group) whose work has helped to promote a greater appreciation for the dignity of each member of the human family, and challenged others to examine the role they play in our search for meaning, freedom and love.

2003
The first David & Lynn Angell Comedy Fellowship Award for was given to UCLA graduate student, Kathy Fischer. Members of the entertainment industry, to honor David and Lynn Angell, created the fellowship. David was a writer on the staff of Cheers and co-creator of Wings and Frasier. Lynn provided the opportunity for David to pursue writing. She supported his efforts by working as an educator and librarian. The Angells were aboard Flight #11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

2005
Both the Children's Live-Action Prize and the Children's Animation Prize were permanently raised from $10,000 to $25,000.

2006
For the first time in over ten years a Special Award was given out.  It was awarded to the documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," which was directed by Davis Guggenheim, and chronicles former Vice President Al Gore's decades long commitment to the issue of global warming.