Sidney Prize is an award that recognizes excellent long-form journalism. The winner is chosen each month by New York Times columnist David Brooks from among the best long-form pieces on politics and culture published in that period. Previous winners have included writers such as Noam Chomsky and Julian Burnside. The prize honors the work of writers and thinkers whose ideas are influential in society. Its name was inspired by the philosopher and political theorist Sidney Hook.
The winning essay is published in the Herald and receives $1,000 courtesy of Dymocks Books and Tutoring, plus a digital subscription to the newspaper. The runners-up each receive $500 and a digital subscription, as well as the opportunity to pitch four additional essays for publication. The judges are drawn from a panel of experts that includes Professor David Malouf, Deputy Director of the Australian National University Institute for Advanced Study and co-founder of the Journalists’ Ethics Foundation; Jane Dempsey, a journalist at the Herald and ZNS; and Bevan Shields, the Herald’s education editor.
Sid genuinely loved science and always took great pleasure in interacting with colleagues at scientific meetings. He never dreaded the possibility of challenging accepted dogma, but did so cautiously and carefully. He once told me that when he and Tom Cech first discovered the self-splicing group I intron of tRNA, they had a tremendous struggle to convince other scientists of their work. Eventually, though, other scientists were willing to follow the evidence wherever it led.
Another of Sid’s cherished pursuits was his passion for music. He often played guitar, piano and harpsichord in his free time and enjoyed participating in chamber music performances. He was also an avid reader, and his love of literature was evident in his lectures and writings.
In the world of academic publishing, there are several notable prizes for essays and books. One of the most prestigious is the Sydney Peace Prize, which was awarded to Black Lives Matter founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi this year. The prize is given each year to nominees who promote peace with justice and human rights.
Other notable awards include the Andrew Gemant Prize, which is given to physicists who have bridged the gap between science and the arts, media, art and literature. In the realm of literary awards, there are several prominent literary prizes that honor individuals and groups who seek to foster new ideas by blurring the lines between art and science. In addition, many prominent scientific publications carry their own awards for outstanding works. In all, there are numerous prestigious awards and prizes in many different fields that reward individuals for their contributions to society. In this way, these prestigious awards help to keep the societal ideals that have been established by various organizations. These prizes help to bring the public into contact with important issues that they might otherwise have been unaware of or unable to understand. This gives the public a better understanding of the importance of these issues and allows them to take action on their behalf when necessary.