The Sidney Prize is a prize for the best piece of undergraduate writing in English. It is awarded annually for a paper which comes closest to those high standards of originality and integrity that were set by Sir Sidney Cox in his teaching and his book Indirections for Those Who Want to Write. It is open to all students at the University of Sydney and submissions may be in any form, from essay to poem. The winner of the prize will receive $5000 in prize money and two runners-up will be published online alongside our autumn 2024 edition.
The prize has been awarded to writers who have produced work of outstanding merit, whether in fiction, non-fiction or poetry. The judges are looking for a story that takes us on an imaginative journey, where characters and situations are rendered with remarkable empathy and skill. In addition, we are seeking a story that makes the reader think about a significant issue or question in a new way.
For over 50 years the Hillman Foundation has illuminated 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, the promotion of civil liberties and democracy and the battle against discrimination based on race or nationality or religion. The foundation has also supported and defended the responsibilities of the daily, periodical and labor press to report in the public interest.
Founded in 1946, the Hillman Foundation is a left-of-center organization that awards monetary prizes to individuals and groups who are engaged in journalism or public service. In recent years, it has devoted considerable resources to supporting the work of journalists and to promoting the integrity and responsibility of a free press. The foundation is headed by Bruce Raynor, president emeritus of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (now part of Unite Here and Workers United, SEIU), and includes members of other prominent unions who serve on its board of trustees.
In addition to the Sidney Prize, the Society for the History of Technology offers a number of other book prizes that recognize excellence in scholarship. These include the Abbot Payson Usher Prize, for an exceptional scholarly book on the history of technology intended for both specialist and general readers; the Sidney Edelstein Prize, for a distinguished essay on the history of technology written by a graduate student or early career scholar and published in the History of Technology; and the Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize, for an unpublished article stemming from dissertation research that contributes significantly to the field of the history of technology.
The prize winners are chosen by a panel of expert judges that include filmmakers and film industry professionals, and the final decisions are made by the festival’s award jury. All prize winners are presented with the festival’s signature mesmeric swirl award designed and made in Australia by Louise Olsen of Dinosaur Designs.