A sidney prize is an award that is given to those who do good work. These prizes are great for rewarding those who help transform the world and encourage others to do the same. They can be awarded to those who promote science in their community or internationally, and they may even lead to new technologies that benefit humanity as a whole. There are many different types of sidney prizes, so it is important to find out what the criteria is for each one before applying.
The Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures who pursue investigative journalism and public service in the interest of common needs. It was founded in 1946 in honor of Sidney Hillman, who served as president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America labor union, a predecessor to Unite Here and Workers United, SEIU. The Hillman Foundation has sought to illuminate the great issues of our time, including the search for a basis for lasting peace, the battles for better housing, medical care and employment security for all, the fight against discrimination based on race or gender, and the promotion of civil liberties and democracy.
Each year, the Committee assembles in Hanover to read and consider the manuscripts submitted for the prize. A single judge of the manuscripts is chosen yearly from among the members of the Committee. The judges are asked to read the works of all contestants, regardless of their status in the program, and to rank each piece.
This annual competition is open to all Overland readers and subscribers. Writers are encouraged to respond to the contest theme of “what makes you optimistic about the future of Sydney or NSW?” The winner and runners-up will be published in the next issue of Overland, receive a cash prize of $5000 (courtesy of Dymocks Books and Tutoring), digital subscriptions to Overland, a tour of the Herald newsroom and the opportunity to pitch four additional pieces for publication.
The Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is an annual competition sponsored by Overland and judged blind. The winner receives a cash prize of $5000, and Overland publishes the winning short story in the summer issue. Writers are encouraged to submit stories that explore marginalised identities and experiences, but this is not a requirement of the contest.
The City of Sydney has honoured Nazanin Boniadi, founder and leader of the women’s rights movement in Iran, with a Sydney Peace Prize this year. The City’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the prize recognises the efforts of Boniadi to turn outrage at human rights violations in her home country into action. The prize will be formally presented to Boniadi later this year. The prize is named after Professor Sidney Cox and honours undergraduate writing that best meets his high standards for originality and integrity. This year’s winner, Sophia Jactel from Art History, won for her paper on Domesticity and Diversions: Josef Israels’s Smoker as a Symbol of Peasant Culture and Home in Nineteenth-Century Holland.