Ron Leshem (32), author and scriptwriter, won the 2006 Sapir Prize - Israel's top literary award.
His novel Beaufort was on the Israeli bestseller list for 2 years, has been translated into 14 languages and was released in English by Random House. The film version of Beaufort, which Leshem coauthored, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and won the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Director.
Leshem served as a journalist and senior editor for Israeli dailies Yedioth Ahronoth and Ma'ariv. In 2006 he became deputy director for content and programming for Channel 2, Israel's main commercial TV network.