Skills Workshops Add to Students’ Portfolios
23 May 2012
Alumnus Wins Postgraduate Research Award
5 June 2012

Alumnus Wins Two Awards in San Francisco

Saul Sugarman, who graduated from the JMSC’s Master of Journalism Programme in 2009, has won two awards for his reporting for a legal affairs newspaper, the Daily Journal, in San Francisco. The awards were given on Saturday, May 19, by the Peninsula Press Club.

Saul Sugarman with his awards

Sugarman won against some notable competition, including Bloomberg, the Associated Press, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News.

“More than 100 people from the Bay Area journalism industry attended,” he said. “There were roughly 450 entries and they handed out more than 100 awards.”

Sugarman’s  first award was in the category of “Analysis,” for a story called “Employers Avoid Seeking Skilled Worker Visa”. The story covered the reluctance of American employers to hire from abroad because of the difficulties getting workers employment visas.

His second prize winner, in the category “Feature Story of a Serious Nature,” was called “International Appeal”. It looked at a growing trend of foreign students who go to the U.S. and spend more than $50,000 a year on law degrees, and then end up without jobs.

Sugarman received his Master of Journalism degree at the JMSC before starting a job as a writer on the Bay City News Service,  a San Francisco newswire.

He moved on to the Daily Journal in June 2011.

“I am constantly looking at opportunities through new jobs, awards and fellowships,” said Sugarman. “My biggest challenge is remembering what opportunities are out there and when those deadlines are. I’ve been making a big push to keep on top of that this year, which is why I applied for the Peninsula Press Club awards.”

“I think these awards reflect my interest in international affairs, which the JMSC fostered,” he said.

“It was really nice to receive an award for all my hard work. I also loved that my former editor of the Bay City News Service presented me with the award. That was a special treat.”