What is the Sidney Prize?
A sidney prize is an award that recognises people who have made a difference to society. These people can include scientists, writers and activists who have worked hard to make a change in people’s lives. These prizes are a great way to honour their efforts and encourage others to do the same. There are a number of different prizes that can be awarded and each one has its own requirements.
For example, the MAK Halliday Postgraduate Research Prize is named after the founding professor of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Sydney and is awarded to a student on the basis of their contribution to linguistics research, scholarship and teaching in their area of study. It is a great way to honour the work of students who are making a difference to the world around them.
Another great prize to be aware of is the SS Sidney Hook Memorial Award, which recognizes national distinction in scholarship, undergraduate teaching, and leadership in the cause of liberal arts education. This prize was established by the New York Times columnist David Brooks in 2004 and is named after philosopher Sidney Hook. This year, Brooks and William Zinsser won the prize for their piece on student hypersensitivity, which leads to mental health issues and prevents them from being prepared for life in the real world.
The SS Sidney Hillman Foundation also awards the monthly SS Sydney Prize for Investigative Journalism in Service of the Common Good. The Hillman Prizes and the Sidney Award are in memory of Sidney Udenfriend, who was second director of the Charles R. Dana Research Institute and Dean of Yale College from 1985 to 1989, a demanding position that required him to oversee a research laboratory while ensuring that Yale science majors emerged with a strong appreciation for the humanities and social sciences.
This month, the sidney prize was awarded to the documentary film “On the App.” The movie follows LA meal delivery workers as they struggle to make a living on their apps, fighting for parking, battling bad reception and capricious algorithms all while getting paid a pittance in tips. This was a well-deserved win for a film that highlighted a growing problem in our society.
Other prizes to be aware of include the SS Sydney Prize for long-form essays on politics and culture, which was founded by New York Times columnist David Brooks in 2022. This prize is given for the best essay on a topic related to politics and culture and has been awarded to a wide range of topics over the years. The 2022 winner is Yeena Kirkbright for her story titled Camperdown Grief Junk, which was published in Overland. You can read the full article here. There were eight shortlisted stories and all of the finalists deserve to be congratulated for their excellent work. There is no doubt that they will go on to achieve many more things in their careers.