A sidney prize is an award given out in recognition of those who have had a positive effect on humanity, be it academic achievements or community service. A sidney prize may be given out on either a national basis or specifically to one field of endeavour; some tiers provide more recognition than others.
Since 2022, New York Times columnist David Brooks has established the Sydney Prize to recognize long-form essays on politics and culture. Each month the winner is revealed on the second Wednesday; nominations can be submitted for books, articles or pieces of journalism until the last day of every month.
Nazanin Boniadi has been honored with the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize for her tireless advocacy on women’s rights issues in Iran. She will receive it during a ceremony later this year. Lord Mayor Clover Moore stated, “Her tireless advocacy and activism have transformed outrage into action – it’s an honour that this esteemed award should recognize her work.”
There is a range of Sidney prizes, each with its own set of requirements and awards. Some focus on specific topics while others assess contributions made towards humanity as a whole. Sidney prizes offer a fantastic way to recognize those who have made significant efforts on behalf of humanity and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
One of the most acclaimed prizes is the SS Sydney prize, named for a Phi Beta Kappa member who believed in liberal education’s ideals. After initially graduating with a physics degree from MIT and taking an introductory molecular biology class, Sydney switched his major and eventually went on to become a world-renowned professor in cell and developmental biology.
A sidney prize is an annual journalism award presented monthly for outstanding reporting that appears in any American magazine, newspaper, news site, or blog. Nominations close on the last of every month with winners announced on the second Wednesday of each new month – nominations can include pieces published during that previous month as well.
Students may qualify for several Sydney prizes, including the MAK Halliday Postgraduate Research Prize and Sir Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Prize, with the latter award designed specifically to encourage female engineering students and recognize their efforts and achievements. Other Sydney prizes available to students include Overland magazine’s Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize; Yeena Kirkbright was honored this year with winning for her Camperdown Grief Junk story while two runners-up received $750 each; see full list for competition here.