A sidney prize is an award bestowed upon individuals who make significant contributions to society, whether that be through academic achievement, community service or specific fields of study such as engineering or linguistics. There are various sidney prizes available and they provide an effective means of encouraging people to get involved with their chosen field of endeavor.
Yeena Kirkbright of Camperdown Grief Junk won the 2022 Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize with her story Camperdown Grief Junk. She received $5,000 and will see publication in Overland magazine. All submissions impressed the judges Laura Elvery, Paige Clark and Michael Winkler who each awarded $1000 as runners up prizes – with runners up also receiving that amount each.
This prize was established to commemorate Dartmouth College professor Sidney Cox, who taught English for more than 24 years at Dartmouth. Each year a group of 16 competing students met at Mrs. Cox’s house and discussed scholarship ideas over coffee and brownies; during these meetings was born Richard M. Rogin ’54’s Three Times Around which depicted paths towards “bella”, or happiness.
Sidney alumni have long made major contributions to culture, religion, politics, business, science and social issues. This has included war veterans, Nobel laureates, political cartoonists, archaeologists, authors/writers/authors, explorers/scientists/explorers as well as entrepreneurs, lawyers/philanthropists/philanthropists philanthropists/businessmen & sportspersons. All have made an enduring difference over four centuries – but how?
Individuals awarded with the Sydney Prize are widely seen as influential individuals within their fields, boasting large followings and being known for their contributions to society. Receiving such recognition helps attract clients and customers while also serving to promote work done by them and acknowledge those who have made an exceptional effort towards humanity. The sidney prize serves as an outstanding means of recognising individuals who have made such significant efforts on our behalf.
The SS Sydney Hook Memorial Award recognizes writers whose writing illuminates how politics and culture interact, as awarded by The New York Times since 2004. Previous recipients have included Amanda Hess for her article on online sexism and Ta-Nehisi Coates who explored how America first started as black plunder and white democracy before devolved into inequality and racism.
There are various awards available to journalists and writers in Sydney. One such prize, the Hillman Sydney Prize, honors those who champion social justice and public policy for the greater good, honour those writing on health and human rights topics, promote quality work and inspire more people to become journalists or writers themselves. Meanwhile, other prizes like Event Cinemas Rising Talent award recognize emerging film creatives working short films; winners receive cash prizes of $7,000. Shortlisted filmmakers include Zoe Meager for her story Golden Hour as well as Miso Bell with Thirsty Trees among many others.