Sarah Stillman, a Marshall Scholar from the class of 2006, has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. The annual award recognizes a "distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing, and clear presentation, using any available journalistic tool." Stillman won the Pulitzer for her piece titled "Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away," published in The New Yorker in December 2023. 

The award-winning article examines the legal doctrine of felony murder and its disproportionate and devastating impact on marginalized communities. 

"Sarah Stillman continues to make significant contributions to the fields of journalism and investigative reporting," said Nell Breyer, Executive Director of the Association of Marshall Scholars. "Her dedication to pursuing ethically compelling storytelling helps to shed light on some of society’s most pressing and neglected human rights challenges."

"On behalf of the Marshall community, we congratulate Sarah on her accomplishment." states Scott Grinsell, President of the Association of Marshall Scholars. "Her profound commitment to investigative journalism inspires journalists and advocates worldwide."

With the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, Sarah joins other internationally recognized Marshall Scholar journalists and writers who have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, including: Anne Applebaum (1986 Marshall Scholar), Sewell Chan (1988 Marshall Scholar), Thomas Friedman (1973 Marshall Scholar), Jeffrey Gettleman (1994 Marshall Scholar), Annalyn Swan (1973 Marshall Scholar), and Dan Yergin (1968 Marshall Scholar). 

Sarah Stillman is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a visiting scholar at the N.Y.U. Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Among other accolades, Stillman was named a 2016 MacArthur Fellow, won a 2012 National Magazine Award,  the 2012 Hillman Prize for Magazine Journalism for the article, and the 2010 N.Y.U. Carter Journalism Institute's inaugural Reporting Award. She was a featured speaker at the 2023 Marshall Forum at Planet Word in Washington, D.C.

As a Marshall Scholar, Sarah Stillman studied Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford at St. John’s College.

About the Association of Marshall Scholars

The Association of Marshall Scholars works to strengthen US-UK ties and also the Marshall Scholarship. Historically, the transatlantic alliance has served as a lynchpin for liberal democracy, prosperity and global peace. A valuable thread of this relationship has been the Marshall Scholarship, an educational program strengthening international exchange and advancement in nearly every field of human endeavor.

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