JUDGES: Franz Strasser, The BBC; Mark Stein, Dow Jones; Tiffany Harness, The Washington Post; Prabha Natarajan, Dow Jones; Jonathan Capehart, MSNBC contributor; Blake Hounshell, Foreign Policy.

NEW YORK, September 29, 2011: The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are proud to announce the winners of the 2011 Second Round SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

SAJA will support the following projects with a total of about $20,000 in funding:

Lily Jamali, a freelancer multimedia journalist who has produced pieces for PRI/BBC's "The World," CNN and Time.com, will document how climatic changes are affecting the island nation of the Maldives.

Erik Olsen and Matthew Orr, are video journalists at the New York Times, will produce a piece about how a group of isolated tribes living near the Bay of Bengal are coping with the growing encroachment of modern society. 

Brent Lewin, a freelancer who has been published in the Global Post, Bloomberg and Discovery Channel Magazine, plans to report on the continued use of children as miners in the India coal industry.

"The number of high-caliber entries made the judging process extremely difficult," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the chair of the SAJA Reporting Fellowships. "The judges found that the winners' projects stood out for their timeliness and compelling  storyline, and we're eagerly looking forward to seeing the finished work."

The completed work is expected to be available to news organizations around the world at no cost in early January 2012.

Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects about South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora through special grants. The resulting work is available for use by news organizations at no charge. Last year, the inaugural fellowships' applicants were required to focus on the aftermath of the Tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004. The completed work of previous year's fellows may be viewed here. [link: http://saja.org/srf]

The judge for the final round was:  Raju Narisetti, the Managing Editor of the Washington Post. The judges for the first two rounds were members of the SAJA board.

ABOUT SAJA:
SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 1,000 journalists working for leading publications, broadcast networks and online outlets in various cities in the US and Canada.

SAJA works closely with SAJA Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

Details of SAJA's activities and resources for journalists are available at
http://www.saja.org.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 55-0844632)
and is registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau
(Registration Number 20-70-28). Please send any funding questions to
saja@columbia.edu 

For more information, contact Sandeep Junnarkar at awards@saja.org.

NEW YORKundefinedThe South Asian Journalists Association is pleased to announce four outstanding journalists who have won the 2011 Knowledge@Wharton Awards for Business Journalism, sponsored by SAJA, the Wharton School and the Knowledge@Wharton online business journal. 

–Tanzina Vega, a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a reporter for The New York Times, won the NAHJ-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

– Kimberly Chou, a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and a news assistant at the Wall Street Journal, won the AAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

–Priyanka Dayal, a member of SAJA and a business reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (a New York Times Co. newspaper), is one of the recipients of the SAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

–Aruna Viswanatha, a member of SAJA and a journalist Reuters in New York, is another winner of SAJA-Knowledge@Wharton Award.

The awards provide journalists with a scholarship to attend the prestigious Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists (www.wharton.upenn.edu/journalists) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in October. Knowledge@Wharton and SAJA launched the award in 1999 and later expanded it to include the four organizations in UNITY: Journalists of Color -- AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ and Native American Journalists Association. (This year there were no NAJA applicants.)

"A mortgage crisis, global market turmoil, federal, state and local government budget cuts and tracking federal stimulus money. It’s clear that economic and business coverage is important no matter what beat a journalist covers," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the SAJA Fellowships and Awards Chair. "The Wharton seminar is an immensely valuable opportunity for journalists to learn about intricacies of business coverage. We're grateful to the Wharton School for the 12th year of continued support."

Any member of SAJA, AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ or NAJA who is a reporter, editor or producer (including freelancers) currently living in the United States or Canada and working in business journalism or a field that overlaps, such as healthcare or technology, is eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must be available to attend the Wharton program this year. Individuals with two to seven years of experience as a business reporter or those new to business reporting, but with five to 10 years of experience as a reporter in another field, are encouraged to apply.

"Knowledge@Wharton seeks to disseminate the knowledge behind the news, and the continuing support of the Knowledge@Wharton Awards for SAJA and the UNITY organizations fits in well with this mission," said Mukul Pandya, executive director and editor in chief of Knowledge@Wharton. "We are delighted to welcome this year's winners to the Wharton Seminars."

The judges for this year's awards were members of the SAJA Board.

About Knowledge@Wharton and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Knowledge@Wharton, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/is a free biweekly online resource that captures knowledge generated at Wharton through such channels as research papers, conferences, books, and interviews with faculty on current business topics, and distributes that knowledge online to a global business audience. The Knowledge@Wharton network includes more than 1.3 million subscribers and contains more than 2,000 articles and research papers in its database, with more added every week.
The Wharton School -- founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school -- is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The school has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 8,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 85,000 graduates.

About the South Asian Journalists Association
The South Asian Journalists Association http://www.saja.org, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 800 journalists working for leading newspapers, broadcast networks and new media outlets in various cities in the U.S. and Canada. The organization is best known for its web-based SAJA Stylebook for Covering South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora (http://www.saja.org/stylebook) -- "Learn to tell your Hindi from Hindu, and much, much more" -- and its annual SAJA Journalism Awards, which recognize outstanding coverage of South Asia and excellence in reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada. Each year, more than 700 journalists attend the SAJA National Convention in NYC.

 

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May 20, 2011

NEW YORK The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are pleased to announce the finalists in its annual journalism awards contest.

Finalists for the SAJA 2011 Journalism Awards for work published in 2010 include NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, NPR and The Wall Street Journal.

This year, SAJA received more than 200 entries in 10 categories. Finalists were selected by more than 15 judges. The winners will be announced at SAJA's 17th Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Columbia University. 

Each award winner will receive a certificate and the student winners will receive an additional cash prize.

SAJA JOURNALISM AWARD FINALISTS

Category 1 - The Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding reporting about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All Media

Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan  --  Steve Inskeep; Julie McCarthy; Phillip Reeves, NPR    
On Patrol (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4 -- Christopher Chivers, The New York Times
The Shadow War (Series) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -- Mark Mazzetti,Dexter Filkins, The New York Times
India’s Diabetes Epidemic Cuts Down Millions Who Escape Poverty -- Jason Gale, Bloomberg News
Afghan Women and The Return of the Taliban -- Aryn Baker, TIME

Category 2. Outstanding story about the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

An American Honor Killing -- Abigail Pesta, Marie Claire
Nikki Haley  --    George Joseph, India Abroad
They've Struck Oil, But They're Not Rich -- Sachi Cunningham, Los Angeles Times
Bhutanese refugees series --      Matt O'Brien, Jane Tyska, Contra Costa Times / Bay Area News Group

Category 3. Outstanding business story about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora: All Media

The Organ Dealer -- Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover magazine     
Suicides in India Revealing How Men Made a Mess of Microcredit -- Yoolim Lee, Ruth David,  Bloomberg News
Tax-Free Living in Pakistan -- Adam Ellick, The New York Times
The Most Wanted Surrogates in the World -- Habiba Nosheen, Hilke Schellmann, Glamour

Category 4. Outstanding arts, culture, or travel story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

Street Food Goes Gourmet -- Preeti Chandan, India-West
How India's Success Is Killing Its Holy River --  Jyoti Thottam, TIME    
A Normal Man In A Not So Normal World -- Amitava Kumar, Preston Merchant,  The Caravan
Behind the Scenes at the South Asian Spelling Bee -- Dr Mona Khanna, Shar Adrias, southasianspellingbee.com


Category 5. Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

My Mother's Last Sari -- Madhulika Sikka, Daily Beast
Obama's Pakistan Dilemma -- Matthew Kaminski, The Wall Street Journal
But Is It Racist? -- Tanzila Ahmed, Sepia Mutiny
Photojournalist notebook: Reflections on a visit to Bhutan and Nepal, Jane Tyska,         The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group

Category 6. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Women of Afghanistan Under Taliban Threat -- Aryn Baker,        TIME
The Mainali Family Journey Part 1 & 2 -- Jane Tyska, The Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group
Along The Grand Trunk Road: Coming Of Age In India And Pakistan  --  Steve Inskeep; Julie McCarthy; Phillip Reeves, NPR

Category 7. Outstanding coverage of the South Asian environment, including the Pakistan floods (All Media)

Coal India Limited -- Srinivas Kuruganti, Blurb books
Inside the Flood Zone -- Reza Sayah, CNN
NPR Flood Coverage -- William Craven, Julie McCarthy, NPR







Category 8. Outstanding story on any subject: All media

More airport security screenings for Sikhs (Series) -- Anju Kaur, Sikh News Network
Rwanda: Take Two -- Pia Sawhney, The Washington Post
Warlord Reflection On Liberia's Bloody Wars -- Seema Mathur, Mike Martin, CNN
SF Police Chief: Muslims a Possible Threat -- Anser Hassan , Illume Media


Category 9. Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media

Let These Women Pray! -- Asra Nomani, Daily Beast
Across the Border - Tech-savvy, Poverty-ridden -- Sujeet Rajan, The Indian Express North American edition
Detention Reform and Its Discontents, Anil Kalhan, Dorf on Law

Category 10. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or the worldwide South Asians diaspora (single or series)

Judges did not select a winner in this category.

Category 11. Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian student in the US or Canada: All media

Rogue militias abuse rural Afghans -- Mujib Mashal, Al Jazeera English
The Heretics -- Vivekananda Nemana, Shoeleather Magazine
$325 a week; living as a newspaper vendor -- Vishal Persaud, The Wage Divide
Watch and learn -- Riddhi Shah, Boston Globe
Canadian women getting controversial surgery to mimic virginity -- Tamara Baluja, The Province

The South Asian Journalists Association is pleased to announce the winners of its 2011 Student Scholarship Awards. This year we had an impressive pool of nearly 90 applicants, and are thrilled to award a record $36,000 in scholarships. The awards will help students interested in journalism pursue their high school, undergraduate or graduate educations.

 

Our thanks to the Arun I. and Asmita Bhatia Foundation; Hansa and Ramesh Butani of Darshan TV; Atlantic Media and CNN for their generous support of the scholarships.

 

Also....

 

Tickets on sale now for SAJA's annual convention: http://saja.org/convention2011. Early bird discount available till May 15.

Donate to SAJA Scholarship Fund today: http://saja.org/donate

     

        2011 Scholarship Winners:

 

        HIGH SCHOOL $1500 each

        Rajeswari Ramanathan

        Joshua Roychowdhury

        Ritika Shah

 

        UNDERGRADUATE $3000 each

        Shanika Gunaratna

        Devin Banerjee

        Sonali Kohli

 

        UNDERGRADUATE ENGENDERED $1000

        Sarosh Arif

 

        SAJA CNN BROADCAST (UNDERGRADUATE) $2000

        Anum Hussain

 

        GRADUATE $5000 each

        Sumit Galhotra

        Suvro Bandyo

        Rukmagat Aryal

 

        GRADUATE ENGENDERED $1000

        Noor Zaidi

 

        SAJA CNN BROADCAST (GRADUATE) $2000

        Nadia Zaffar

 

        ATLANTIC MONTHLY NEW MEDIA $1500

        Ashwin Seshagiri

 

This program is aimed at promoting a rare element in 24/7-news-cycle journalism -- in-depth and follow-up reporting on major events relating to South Asia or South Asians, long after the breaking-news crews have moved on.

Full program details at http://saja.org/2011srf

Questions to Sandeep Junnarkar, Awards & Fellowships chair: awards@saja.org

NEW YORK, April 18, 2011 - As part of their mission to encourage in-depth coverage of South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora, SAJA and SAJA Group Inc are pleased to announce changes to its flagship SAJA Reporting Fellowship program (SRF), which will now provide greater flexibility while streamlining the application process. 

Journalists will have two opportunities each year to apply for the fellowship, once each fall and spring, which we envision allows them to pitch more timely under-reported pieces. The spring round 2011 opens April 18, 2011.

The application process has also been simplified. Journalists will now submit a short application that asks for their pitch and credentials. If the application is approved by our judges, SAJA will ask for more details about the project.

With those changes in mind, SAJA and SAJA Group Inc. announces a call for submissions for the SAJA Reporting Fellowship. Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects by providing grants to cover a portion of reporting expenses.

A total of up to $20,000 may be given out annually, divided among projects or a single project at SAJA's discretion. Each fellowship award is typically between $3,000-$7,000. 

These Fellowships, launched in 2005 to ensure follow-up reportage about the 2004 tsunami and its victims, were initially funded by SAJA members, corporate donors and friends of SAJA. For the last five years, SRF received a major financial boost thanks to the support of the Mahadeva Family Foundation, which will make an annual contribution of $20,000. "The support of Kumar Mahadeva and Simi Ahuja, who have been part of the SAJA community for more than a decade, is critical to SAJA's core mission of improving the coverage of South Asia through the SAJA Reporting Fellowships and similar programs," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the group's Awards & Fellowships chair and professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. "This is going to have a major impact on the kind of stories that the Fellows do and how Americans learn about what's going on in South Asia today." 

In the 2011 spring period, the fellowship is open to proposals on any in-depth topics covering South Asia or the South Asian Diaspora.

SAJA will start accepting preliminary proposals on starting April 18-May 2. After reviewing the proposals and credentials, we will inform applicants whether we are interested in a full proposal. The deadline for the complete proposal, with supporting materials will be May 15, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Full program details, F.A.Q and application at http://saja.org/2011srf

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2011: The South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) and SAJA Group Inc. are proud to announce the winners of the 2011 SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

SAJA will support the following projects with a total of about $20,000 in funding:

"The number of high-caliber entries made the judging process extremely difficult," said Sandeep Junnarkar, the chair of the SAJA Reporting Fellowships. "The judges found that the winners' projects stood out for their timeliness and compelling  storyline, and we're eagerly looking forward to seeing the finished work."

The completed work is expected to be available to news organizations around the world at no cost in early July 2011.

This year SAJA plans to provide another $20,000 in funding for the SAJA Reporting Fellowships in the Fall. Please check SAJA.org for more information in July, 2011. 

Open to freelancers and staff journalists in any medium, the fellowships are meant to encourage in-depth reporting projects about South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora through special grants. The resulting work is available for use by news organizations at no charge. Last year, the inaugural fellowships' applicants were required to focus on the aftermath of the Tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004. The completed work of previous year's fellows may be viewed here.

The judges for the final round were:  Deepti Hajela, a newswoman at the Associated Press and former SAJA president; Brent McDonald, a video journalist at the New York Times; and Steve Strasser, associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and former managing editor of Newsweek International. The judges for the first two rounds were members of the SAJA board.

ABOUT SAJA:
SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, was founded in March 1994 as a networking group for journalists of South Asian origin in New York City. It has grown into a national group of more than 1,000 journalists working for leading publications, broadcast networks and online outlets in various cities in the US and Canada.

SAJA works closely with SAJA Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

Details of SAJA's activities and resources for journalists are available at http://www.saja.org.

SAJA Group, Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 55-0844632) and is registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau (Registration Number 20-70-28). Please send any funding questions to saja@saja.org