The Sidney Prize honours outstanding investigative journalism that exposes social and economic injustice. Awarded monthly, the prize is open to U.S and Canadian journalists working for the common good. The prize is named in memory of journalist Sidney Hillman.
The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award recognises unpublished manuscripts of Jewish children’s fiction for readers aged 8-13 years. It was established to encourage aspiring authors and to publish an outstanding work with universal appeal and Jewish content. This is an annual award, and a cash prize of $1000 is offered to the winner.
Established in memory of a former professor and a member of the staff of the University, this prize is awarded to students who demonstrate loyalty to high ideals. The award consists of a medal and a citation.
In 2024, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is a joint collaboration with the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and offers $5000 to the winning writer and $2000 to two runners-up. The judges (Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh) have selected a shortlist of eight pieces. The winning story will be published in Overland’s autumn issue and online, and the runners-up will be published online alongside it.
This year’s theme is ‘Travel’. Please note that your submission must be a single piece of original, unpublished short fiction, up to 3000 words in length and themed loosely around the notion of travel. Judges will be looking for compelling narrative, strong characters and a sense of place and time. In addition to your submission, you may also answer the following question: ‘Does this story take up a voice or experience that is vulnerable or marginalised? If so, do you identify yourself as a part of that community or experience?’ This is not a requirement, but our judges would like to see an awareness of identity issues at play in your writing.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Sidney Prize. The winning essay, written by student James Greenwood, was on the subject of Australia’s dwindling biodiversity. The other prizewinning essay was written by student Judith O’Shea on the subject of Indigenous law.
The prize was founded in 1854 and is awarded to a student for an outstanding essay on a selected topic. Essays are submitted anonymously, and the winner is notified after the essay has been assessed by judges.
All undergraduate students enrolled at the University are eligible to apply. Applicants must be logged in to Canvas, submit their essay via the Sidney Prize submission portal and use a pen name when submitting. They must also provide a signed copy of their university-issued student identification card. All submissions are screened for academic integrity.