Alice Su of the Los Angeles Times is the winner of the 2021 Oz Prize. Stay tuned for details about our virtual award presentation and discussion on June 16.

Alice Su of the Los Angeles Times is the winner of the 2021 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia. 

The independent jury that awards the Oz Prize — chaired by former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal top editor Marcus Brauchli — released a statement which said in part:

“Alice Su’s ambitiously conceived, deeply nuanced journalism humanized and added important new dimensions to our understanding of Xi Jinping’s China. She explained how missteps by a top-down regime dedicated to control contributed to the rapid spread of the terrifying pandemic that swept out of Wuhan. In a year of wide-ranging and difficult reporting, she showed the human cost of heavy-handed government policies, even as China's economic power grows."

Read the full jury statement and announcement of the prize here.

Links to Su's award-winning stories reported during 2020 follow:

Inside Xinjiang, survivors of China’s internment camps speak December 17, 2020
China cracks down on Inner Mongolian minority fighting for its mother tongue September 3, 2020
China’s new campaign to make Muslims devoted to the state rather than Islam November 20, 2020
First a pandemic, then the floods: Villagers in southern China face devastation again July 15, 2020
China’s crackdown on professors reminds many of Mao era June 27, 2020
Wuhan’s survivors find no closure from the coronavirus May 24, 2020
Dreams of a Red Emperor: The relentless rise of Xi Jinping October 22, 2020

Affectionately referred to as the “Oz Prize,” the award honors the late Osborn Elliott, a legendary journalist and former editor-in-chief of Newsweek. Elliott set new standards for reporting and editing, and became one of the earliest practitioners of “civic journalism,” the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy.

The Oz Prize jury is chaired by Marcus Brauchli, managing partner of North Base Media and former editor of the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. The 2021 jury also includes Barbara Demick, journalist, author, and 2006 Oz Prize winner; Dorinda Elliott, China Institute and formerly with Newsweek; Nisid Hajari, Bloomberg Opinion; Zuraidah Ibrahim of the South China Morning Post; and Alec McCabe, formerly with Bloomberg News. 

Previous Oz Prize Winners

2020: Gerry Shih, The Washington Post
2019: Team of Reporters, Associated Press
2018: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Reuters
2017: Ellen Barry, The New York Times
2016: Sudarsan Raghavan, The Washington Post
2015: Team of Reporters, Bloomberg News
2014: Team of Reporters, Reuters
2013: Team of Reporters, Bloomberg News 
2012: April Rabkin, Fast Company
2010: Keith Bradsher, The New York Times
2009: Team of Reporters, International Herald Tribune
2008: Shai Oster, The Wall Street Journal
2007: Evan Osnos, Chicago Tribune
2006: Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times; Matthew McAllester, Newsday
2005: Philip P. Pan, The Washington Post
2004: John Pomfret, The Washington Post
2003: Elisabeth Rosenthal, The New York Times

About Osborn Elliott, 1924-2008

The Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia honors a legendary journalist whose inclusive public dialogue and civic engagement characterized his life’s work.

Oz Elliott’s career began with the New York Journal of Commerce and TIME magazine half a century ago. He moved to Newsweek, where he served as editor, editor-in-chief, CEO and chairman from 1961 to 1976. During his long tenure, Elliott significantly shaped a new and more populist journalism. By launching the “My Turn” feature, he opened the magazine to a broader range of public opinion, in addition to engaging such regular columnists as Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman and Meg Greenfield. His proudest accomplishment during those years was Newsweek’s outspoken support for the emerging civil rights movement: in 1963 he devoted a special issue to African-Americans.

Civic duty and journalism were constant themes in his life. In 1975 Oz Elliott became founding chairman of the Citizens Committee for NYC. A year later he became New York’s first Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. This was followed by 15 years as dean and professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he established the Poliak Center for First Amendment Studies and the Delacorte Center for Magazine Journalism. In 1992 he led a march on Washington of 250,000 people protesting the federal neglect of U.S. cities.

Oz Elliott was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served on numerous boards, including Asia Society, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Public Library and Harvard’s Board of Overseers. He was among the first to be inducted into the Magazine Editors Hall of Fame. He served on the Pulitzer Prize Board, wrote books, and received honorary degrees and many journalism awards. Through his leadership as a civic journalist and civic stalwart, he inspired and trained thousands to become active partners in shaping our society. Though Oz died in 2008, his contribution is a lasting legacy.

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