NEW YORK (June 19, 2010) -- The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the winners of the association's 2010 scholarships, as well as the finalists in its annual journalism awards contest.
SAJA is celebrating its 16th anniversary with the SAJA Comes to You events across North America & the Scholarship and Award Gala on July 23 at Low Library in the heart of Columbia University.
SAJA awarded $16,000 in scholarships to six graduate students, three undergraduates and three high school students who have demonstrated a strong interested in pursuing journalism. Finalists for the SAJA 2010 Journalism Awards for work done produced in 2009 include Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Washington Post, India Aboard, NPR and The Wall Street Journal.
This year, SAJA received more than 220 entries in 10 categories. Finalists were selected by 30 judges. A panel of judges will select the winner of each category from the finalists and those winners will be announced at the Awards and Scholarship Gala on Saturday, July 24, 2010, at Columbia University. The student winners will receive an additional cash prize.
For media outlets headquartered in and/or freelancers based in the United States or Canada:
Category 1 - The Daniel Pearl Award for outstandingreporting about South Asia: All media
National Public Radio - Phillip Reeves - Pakistan's Military Wins Swat Valley Radio War
Mother Jones - Scott Carney - Meet the Parents: The Dark Side of Overseas Adoption
The New York Times - Adam Ellick - Part 1: Class Dismissed Part 2: A Schoolgirl's Odyssey
Time Magazine - Aryn Baker and Jyoti Thottam- The Making of a Mumbai Terrorist
Bloomberg - Jason Gale - India Failing to Control Open Defecation Blunts Nation's Growth
Category 2 - Outstanding reporting about South Asians in North America: All media
India Aboard -George Joseph - Under the Gun
Reuters - Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Anurag Kotoky - Young Indians say"no thanks" to American dream
The Indian American Magazine - Joanne Flynn Black - Rinku and Dinesh Play Ball
Category 3 - Outstanding business story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media
The Wall Street Journal - The Rise of Rural India
The New York Times - Heather Timmons - Some Indians Find It Tough To Go Home Again
Bloomberg BusinessWeek - Mehul Srivastava with Prashant Gopal - What's Holding India Back
Christian Science Monitor - Lisa Schroeder - Compressed natural gas clears the air in Bangladesh
Category 4 - Outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media
Illume - Anser Hassen - Illume Speaks with Playwright Wajahat Ali
National Public Radio - Neda Ulaby - On TV, Immigrants' Kids Mine Cultural Convergence
The Financial Times - Farooq Ahmed - An American's journey to Mecca
Category 5 - Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media
New York Post - Raakhee Mirchandani - Melting Not: Why Young People Like Me Started Dating Within Our Race
Time Magazine - Aryn Baker - Casualty of War
The Wall Street Journal - Matthew Kaminski - Holbrooke of South Asia
ABCDLady - Mayank Bubna - Talking to the Taliban
Category 6 - Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or South Asians in North America (single or series)
Toronto Star - Muhammad Lila - Darjeeling
Reuters - Andrew Biraj - Taking the fast train
Preston Merchant - IndiaWorld: Images of the Global Indian Diaspora
Special One-Time Award: Category 7 - Outstanding piece or series covering the conflict in Sri Lanka: All media
India Abroad - How the Sri Lankan army crushed the LTTE
Time Magazine -Jyoti Thottam - The Tigers' Last Day
National Post -Stewart Bell - The Tamil Tigers in Canada: Weapons, Money and the Tamil Diaspora
Associated Press -Ravi Nessman - Civilian casualties in the Sri Lanka civil war
For journalists of South Asian origin working in North America for any media outlet:
Category 8 - Outstanding story on any subject: All media
CNN - Seema Mathur- Morocco Model For Women
Washington Post -Rajiv Chandrasekaran - Part 1: From Captive To Suicide Bomber Part 2: A 'Ticking Time Bomb' Goes Off
Playboy - Shashank Bengali - Pirates of Somalia
Category 9 - Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media
Globe & Mail - Piali Roy - A Skeptical Eye on Hinduism
The Wall Street Journal - S. Mitra Kailta - The Holiday Rush
The New York Times- Sandeep Jauhar - A Doctor by Choice, a Businessman by Necessity
Students of South Asian origin in North America:
Category 10- Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media
1st Place - Priyanka Pruthi - New York University - Woman of Steel
2nd Place - Habiba Nosheen & Hilke Schellmann - Surrogacy: Wombs for Rent
3rd Place - Pracheta Sharma & Jessica Hopper - Columbia University - Behind Closed Doors
SAJA also announces the winners of its 2010 journalism scholarships, totaling $16,000 this year:
- Ayesha Zahid, who graduated from Weslaco East High School, Weslaco, TX, will attend University of Texas - Pan American, Edinburg, TX in the fall of 2010. She is the winner of a SAJA scholarship for a high school student and will receive $1,000.
- Pearl Bhatnagar, who graduated from Townsend Harris High School, Flushing, NY, will attend Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in the fall of 2010. She is the winner of a SAJA scholarship for a high school student and will receive $500.
- Ashika Kalra, who graduated from Saint Charles East High School, St. Charles, IL, will attend New York University, New York, NY in the fall of 2010. She is the winner of a SAJA scholarship for a high school student and will receive $500.
- Stephani Mojica, who is recently transferred to Sarah Lawrence College, New York, NY, is the winner of the SAJA Engendered scholarship for an undergraduate student and will receive $1,000.
- Sharon Paravastu, who is currently attending Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, is the winner of a SAJA scholarship for an undergraduate student and will receive $1,500.
- Harpreet Kaur Grewal, who recently graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY, is the winner of the SAJA Engendered scholarship for a graduate student and will receive $1,000.
- Hassan Arshad, who will join The University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism in the fall is the winner of the SAJA Atlantic Monthly New Media scholarship and will receive $1,500.
- Swati Malik, who will join Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY, is a winner of the SAJA scholarship for a graduate student and will receive $2,000.
- Sharaf Mowjood, who recently graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY, is a winner of the SAJA scholarship for a graduate student and will receive $2,000.
- Malathi Nayak, who is currently enrolled in the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, is a winner of the SAJA scholarship for a graduate students and will received $1,000.
- Anum Hussain, who currently enrolled at Emerson College, Boston, MA, is the winner of the SAJA-CNN scholarship for broadcast journalism for an undergraduate student and will receive $2,000.
- Kumutha Ramanathan, who will join Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY, is the winner of the SAJA-CNN scholarship for broadcast journalism for a graduate student and will receive $2,000.
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