The frail, dark-eyed young woman was vying for the greatest accolade in music—the hotly contested Prix de Rome for the year 1913. The field had been narrowed to five composers whose cantatas were to be evaluated by a vote of 36 members of the Academie des Beaux-Arts. One critic attending the final judging of the cantatas contrasted contestant Lili Boulanger with the rest of the competitors:
Perched over the piano like jockeys over the necks and withers of their horses, the intrepid composers spurred on their accompanists and desperately flailed away at the performers. Then the superiority of the eternal feminine became apparent to the audience. Compared to her hot-blooded colleagues—who apparently believed that “their hour had come”—the young girl, who had just as much reason to be nervous and impatient, showed the most perfect poise. She had a modest and unaffected attitude, her eyes lowered to the score.
Another witness reported that the three singers with the composer's sister Nadia at the piano, were directed by Lili Boulanger, standing nearby, “a slender shadow in a white dress, so simple, calm, serious and smiling as to be unforgettable.”
But as far as the judging was concerned, the outcome was by no means a sure thing. On the previous day, the preliminary vote by a panel of eight had given Lili Boulanger's cantata a scant majority of five votes. Now it was up to the 36 to decide. After considering the merits of the candidates and other prizes they had won, the members voted. Of the 36, 31 voted in favor of Lili Boulanger and her cantata on the basis of intelligence of subject, correctness of performance, sensitivity and warmth, poetic feeling, and intelligent, colorful orchestration.
With her personality, her poise, and her cantata, Lili Boulanger had set a precedent. In the 110-year history of the Prix de Rome, she was the first woman to win.
这位身体虚弱、深色眼眼睛的年轻女子，正在竞争1913年度“普里克斯罗马奖”。这项最伟大的音乐奖项竞争进入了白热化阶段。最后五位作曲家的康塔塔曲将由来自美术艺术研究院的36位成员评估。有一位参加最终评判的评论家将莉莉·布朗热和其他作曲家做了如下对比：
如同骑士置身于马脖和马肩胛骨之上，无畏的作曲家们栖息于钢琴旁，鼓舞着他们的伴奏者，竭力鞭策着表演家们。然后，一种永恒的女性的优势向观众展现出来。和她的激动不已的同台竞技者（他们显然认为“他们的时刻来到了”）相比，这位本来有足够理由兴奋和不耐烦的年轻姑娘，却平静如水。她谦逊而超脱，眼睛低垂，看着乐谱。
另一个目击者说，有三个歌唱家，作曲家（莉莉）妹妹的娜迪亚坐钢琴旁，莉莉·布朗热领着他们，她站在一旁，“一条细长的影子，穿着白色的服装，简单，安静，肃穆，微笑着，令人难以忘怀。”
但就评判本身而论，结果绝不是一帆风顺的事情。在前一天，一个八人小组的最初投票中，有五票给了莉莉·布朗热，这只是简单多数。现在轮到36人投票了，在充分考虑选手们的优势和他们已经获得的奖项后，评委成员们开始投票了。结果31票支持莉莉?布朗热，认为她的康塔塔曲题材睿智，诠释准确，细腻热情，有着诗一样的情感和丰富多彩的编曲方式。
凭借她的人格魅力、她的镇静、她的康塔塔舞曲，莉莉布朗热开创了一个先例——在“普里克斯罗马奖”110年的历史中，她是第一位获此殊荣的女性。