What is a Sidney Prize?

A sidney prize is an award given out to those who make a positive difference in the world. There are a variety of these prizes available, each with its own advantages and requirements. Some are based on academic achievement, while others focus on social activism. Whatever the case may be, these awards are meant to help those who want to be recognized for their work.

A number of notable sidney prizes exist, including the Sydney Peace Prize, which recognises leading global voices that promote peace and nonviolence. Past laureates have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Joseph Stiglitz. The prize is supported by the city of Sydney and aims to “spark a conversation around ideas for a more just world”.

Other sidney prizes are based on academic achievements. The Iwanter Prize, for example, is given out to a student who has shown outstanding scholarship in the humanities. This award was established through a gift from alumnus Sidney E. Iwanter, who helped document the lectures of history professor Harvey Goldberg at UW-Madison by secretly recording them. The winner of this prize receives a $2,000 unrestricted award.

Another prestigious prize is the National Association of Scholars’ Sidney Hook Memorial Award. This award is presented to a Phi Beta Kappa member who has earned national distinction in three endeavors: scholarship, undergraduate teaching, and leadership in the cause of liberal arts education. This award is announced at the organization’s national conference each year.

In the field of art, there are a number of significant sidney prizes available. These include the Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award, which is given out to an emerging creative working in short film. The 2023 winner of this award was Nazanin Boniadi, whose story The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man focuses on an Iranian family who find themselves living with ghosts in their new home. The winning entry was published in Overland’s autumn 2024 edition, with the runners-up stories appearing online.

There are also a number of notable prizes in the area of literature. One of these is the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, which was established in 2023 to celebrate the late Australian writer and journalist Neilma Gantner. The competition is open to writers from Australia and New Zealand, who must submit a piece of fiction that has been inspired by the natural environment. The winner of this prize will receive $5000 in prize money, while the two runners-up will each receive $2750.

In addition to these major prizes, there are many other sidney prizes that are awarded for specific achievements in different fields. For example, the Sydney chess tournament gives out a number of prizes to its top competitors each year. Some of these prizes are monetary, while others are in the form of trophies. There are even sidney prizes for students who excel in their studies, such as the Sidney Cox Prize. This award was founded in commemoration of Dartmouth professor Sidney Cox, and is intended to motivate graduate students towards realizing their dreams.