Sidney Prize is an award named after the late American playwright. It was given by the Playwrights’ Company to recognize promising new theatre writers in the years before he died. Despite the fact that it was only in existence for a short period of time, the prize became well known and is still remembered. Sidney Prize was not only given to writers who had had notable Broadway successes, but also to those who showed promise and exhibited great talent.

The 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize has been awarded to Annie Zhang for her story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’. Zhang, a writer and editor living on unceded Wangal land in Western Sydney, was previously a Western Sydney Emerging Writer Fellow in 2019. She is also the author of ‘Golden Hour’, which was published in Overland magazine in 2018. The judges for this year’s prize were Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh. They selected a shortlist of eight stories from over 500 submissions, and chose the winner from this shortlist. Zhang will receive a first prize of $5000 and her story will be published in Overland. Two runners-up will receive $750 each and have their stories published online in conjunction with the print publication.

Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has sought to illuminate the great issues of our day – from the search for a basis for lasting peace, to the need for better housing, medical care and employment security for all people, and the battle against discrimination based on race or nationality. The foundation now awards the annual Hillman Prizes for Journalism in the U.S and Canada as well as the monthly Sidney Award for Investigative Journalism that serves the public interest.

In addition to offering a cash prize, the Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award provides invaluable networking opportunities for the winning creative and their work is celebrated in a special screening at one of Australia’s leading cinemas. The winner will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Sydney on Monday 26 August.

The purpose of the Sydney Taylor Book Award is to encourage the publication of outstanding books containing Jewish content for children and teens that meet high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The hope is that official recognition of such books will inspire authors, encourage publishers, intrigue young readers, and build bridges between different communities. The committee for this prize is comprised of members of the National Association of Scholars. The National Association of Scholars is an organization that aims to defend academic freedom and integrity. It also offers a variety of awards and fellowships to support scholars in their fields and promote excellence in scholarship. These awards are presented at its national conference. They are a good way to recognize individuals who have made important contributions to the advancement of the arts and humanities. For more information, visit their website. You can even find a list of their previous winners.