Bob Dylan has been awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize at this year's New York ceremony. The legendary performer has become the first rock artist to receive such an accolade after he was cited for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power".

The Pulitzer Prize is regarded in America as the highest national honour in print journalism, literary acheievements and musical composition. Previous recipients of the special musical Pulitzer include jazz icon John Coltrane, composer George Gershwin and science-fiction author Ray Bradbury.