Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award

The Award

CASW established the annual Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award in 2021 to recognize and support reporting and writing that embodies the high standards exemplified by Sharon Begley (1956–2021), a science journalist of unflinching dedication, skill, moral clarity, and commitment to mentoring. The Sharon Begley Award comprises a career prize, recognizing the accomplishments of a mid-career science journalist, and a grant of at least $20,000 to enable the winner to undertake a significant reporting project. Awardees will also be paired with a senior science journalist who will serve as a professional mentor to help support the project.

The annual deadline for applications is April 30. For full details, see the Rules and Eligibility page and the Application Process page.

Bijal Trivedi and Robin Lloyd — CASW President Robin Lloyd (right) presents Bijal Trivedi an engraved bowl commemorating her selection as the first winner of the Sharon Begley Reporting Award in 2022. (Photo by Ann-Margaret Hedges)

Winners of the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award

2025 – Emily Sohn

2024 – Hannah Furfaro

2023 – John D. Sutter

2022 – Bijal Trivedi

About Sharon Begley

Sharon Begley was the senior science writer at STAT, the Boston Globe’s health and medicine news site, covering genetics, cancer, neuroscience, and other fields of basic biomedical research. Her work was recognized posthumously when she was named a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist along with two STAT colleagues for early reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. Judges for the Victor Cohn Prize cited the remarkable authority, authenticity, precision and confidence of her writing, praised the exhaustive investigative work evident in each piece of reporting, and noted that her pieces had “a propulsive force, an accuracy and a sharpness” that are the hallmarks of a knowledgeable reporter and polished writer.

Begley was previously the senior health and science correspondent at Reuters, The Wall Street Journal‘s first science columnist, and the long-time science editor at Newsweek. Among her many awards were an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the Public Understanding of Science Award from the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the AAAS-Kavli Award for (Online) Science Journalism.

Sharon Begley joined Newsweek upon her graduation from Yale University. In nearly 30 years at the newsweekly, she served as science columnist and editor and as a contributing writer at the magazine. Her column for The Wall Street Journal ran from 2002 to 2007, when Newsweek recruited her back, and from 2012 to 2015 she was the senior health and science correspondent at Reuters.

In nominating her for the Cohn Prize, Managing Editor Gideon Gil recalled that Begley was the first science writer hired when STAT was launched. “One person after another told us she was the best medical science reporter around. Hiring her would bring our startup instant credibility. She has.”

Begley was author of the 2007 book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain and the 2017 book Can’t. Just. Stop: An Investigation of Compulsions, co-author (with Richard J. Davidson) of the 2012 book The Emotional Life of Your Brain, and co-author (with Jeffrey Schwartz) of the 2002 book The Mind and the Brain. She moderated many panels at scientific meetings and addressed an array of audiences on the topics of science writing, neuroplasticity, science literacy, and how scientists can relate to journalists.