Shubi Arun wins SJA Academy Award

With the sports media assembling once again for their annual industry ‘Oscars’ at the Park Plaza in central London, we at the Sports Gazette will be celebrating the achievements of fellow writer, Shubi Arun.

Shubi is the inaugural winner of the Sports Journalist Association’s Academy Award for new and emerging talent.

The Sports Journalists Association said that, “Shubi stood out in a highly competitive pool of 60 entries for the first year of the award, which recognises those with less than one year of experience in sports journalism”.

With so many outstanding entries, the judges had a tough decision to make.  They announced that: “Shubi’s three submissions, all focusing on a different area of sport in India showcased both his versatility and originality”.

The judges were “particularly impressed by Shubi’s skill in finding a fresh angle, his strong news judgment and his ability to tell a story with impact, whether in a more news-oriented piece, profile or feature”.

Shubi started writing about sport in India, but his love for football drew him to London to see if he could make a career in the UK . Since joining the Sports Journalism Master’s programme at St. Mary’s University, he has been busy writing articles for sportsgazette.co.uk and The Blizzard, reporting on the FIFA World Cup for Al Jazeera English, and hosting the sports and culture podcast Through Another Lens.

His prize includes attending the Awards ceremony on Monday 6th March and a work placement with Sky Sports News.

“It took a couple of days for it to sink in that I had won and to be honest, I’m still processing everything. It’s an incredible feeling,” Shubi said.

“The chance to attend the awards and interact with some of the best journalists in the country will be super special, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

Congratulations, Shubi.

You can read one of Shubi’s stories here: “Hi, I’m Roger” – When Sumit Nagal took a set off Roger Federer at the US Open – Sports Gazette