Sidney Prize is an annual award recognizing the work of journalists who investigate and report on social justice issues. It honors the legacy of the late labor activist and founder of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (now known as Workers United, SEIU). The Prize is funded by the Sidney Hillman Foundation. The prize carries a cash award of $5,000 and a certificate. The winner is honored at a ceremony held during the Society’s Triennial Council Meeting.
Each year, a panel of judges from the Society’s membership nominates candidates for the award. The panel then selects a finalist for each category. The panel also reviews the work of all nominees and votes to determine the overall winner. The winning writer receives a cash prize of $3,500 and a certificate. The finalists and runners-up each receive $1,500 and a certificate.
This year, the panel of judges nominated an extraordinary array of works that explore a variety of topics. Several of these essays examine the intersection of science and humanities. For example, in two separate pieces, intellectual heavyweights Leon Wieseltier and Steven Pinker went toe-to-toe in the New Republic to debate whether science has any value beyond what it can measure.
Another notable essay explored the role of libraries in a changing world, while an op-ed from a university student highlighted the importance of civic education for young Australians. These and many other articles are worth reading.
The Sydney Morning Herald Essay Prize is a great way for students to write about an issue of interest to the wider community and have it published in a major Australian newspaper. This year’s competition is now open and will close on Monday 2 October. It is judged by senior Herald editors and Tara June Winch. The winner will receive $1,000 and spend a day in the Herald newsroom. There will also be a chance for two runners-up to receive $500 and a 12-month digital subscription.
Clare Jackson, who studied history as an undergraduate at Sidney and returned for her PhD on royalist ideas in late-seventeenth century Scotland, has won one of the most prestigious prizes for historical writing. The 2023 Sidney Edelstein Prize from the Society for the History of Technology was awarded to her book, A Dam for Africa: The Construction of a Modern State in Ghana (Indiana University Press, 2022). The prize is named after the late Sidney M. Edelstein, a distinguished scholar of the history of dyes and dye processes, founder of the Dexter Chemical Corporation, and 1988 recipient of SHOT’s Leonardo da Vinci Award. The prize is supported by the family of Ruth Edelstein Barish in memory of her husband and their father. The prize is presented at the Society’s Triennial Council meeting. Dr Jackson will be presenting her talk “Royalist Ideas in Late-Seventeenth Century Scotland: The Case of the Papacy and Henry VIII” at the event.
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