A sidney prize is an award given to individuals who make positive impacts on humanity. These awards serve to recognize their efforts and inspire others to follow suit. There are many different kinds of sidney prizes available with unique requirements for eligibility. Those who wish to win these prizes should familiarize themselves with the mechanics of each.
The Sydney peace prize is awarded annually to a person or organization that promotes “peace with justice,” human rights and nonviolence. The winner is honoured at the Sydney peace summit in November. Previous winners include Julian Burnside, Prof Noam Chomsky and Mary Robinson. This year’s nominee is the black rights movement Black Lives Matter. It was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi in the US after the fatal shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.
In chemistry, the Nobel Prize for 2022 was shared by Sid Altman and Thomas Cech for their discovery that RNA (ribonucleic acid) in living cells is not only a molecule of heredity but also functions as a biocatalyst, activating protein production in the cell. This discovery has fundamental implications for our understanding of life on earth.
Other notable sidney prizes are the SS Sydney Hook Memorial Award, which honours writers who illuminate issues that impact politics or culture. The New York Times has been bestowing this prize since 2004. Recent winners include Amanda Hess for her article on online sexism and Ta-Nehisi Coates for his essay on how American history began as black plunder and white democracy, leading to inequality and racism.
The SS Sydney Short Story Prize is hosted by the Overland magazine and the Neilma Sydney Foundation. The winner receives $5,000 in cash and their work is published in the summer issue of Overland. The runners up each receive $750. The judges for the 2022 prize were Laura Elvery, Paige Clark and Michael Winkler.
There are also various sidney prizes for young people who want to pursue a career in writing. One such prize is the Neilma Sydney Prize, which is open to all writers worldwide. Winners will be notified on the second Wednesday of each month. Nominations are due by the last day of the month.
Those who wish to enter the Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize should visit the Overland website.
The Judith Wright Poetry Prize and Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize are two of the prestigious awards offered by the MCAA. Applicants must submit their entries to the MCAA office by September 30 for consideration. The winner will be announced at the MCAA Annual Meeting in the fall. The MCAA also offers several other awards to students, including the Jackson and Caroline Bailey Public Service Award, the Mikiso Hane Asian Studies Prize, and the Percy Buchanan Graduate Prize. MCAA has many additional opportunities for students to develop their research, presentation and leadership skills. Applicants can find the full list of prizes at the MCAA website. The Judith Wright Poetry Prize and the Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize are supported by the Sidney and Carolyn Goodwin Fund.
