In a world where news and opinion is constantly being chopped up into bite-sized pieces, the Sidney Prizes stand athwart technology, yelling stop. These awards are given each year to some of the best long-form essays and journalism.
Established in 1854 from a gift by WC Wentworth, the Sidney Prize is awarded for an essay in English prose addressing a nominated question. The essay will be judged for its originality (specifically, its ability to shed light on the nominated subject) and for the quality of the writing.
Each year the committee will select two papers from submissions by undergraduate students. The first place winner receives $5000 in prize money and the runners-up will each receive $750. The winning and runners-up stories will be published in the autumn 2024 edition of Overland, and online on our website. Each student whose paper is selected for the Sidney Prize will be offered the chance to have their work reviewed by scholars in the appropriate field.
In this way the prize aims to encourage and support the writing of high-quality academic essays and articles by undergraduate students. The committee hopes that the prizes will also stimulate interest in this genre of writing amongst the general public and will enable authors to gain a wider audience for their work.
The physics community has been enriched by the efforts of Sidney Perkowitz. His enduring commitment to connecting art, media and literature to science is the inspiration for this prize named after him.
Each year this prize is awarded for an outstanding contribution to the humanities by a North American scholar. The book must be an important contribution to its field and make a substantial and original contribution to the history of Christianity more generally.
This award, named after the 19th century Scottish physicist, recognises a contribution to the development and understanding of human nature. The prize will be awarded to an individual or organisation who has made a significant contribution to the humanistic and cultural understanding of physics through teaching, research or public communication.
Awarded annually to an outstanding senior who, through their senior thesis and academic distinction, demonstrates the highest standard of intellectual distinction in the College of Letters and Science. The scholarship is supported by a gift from the estate of Sidney E. Iwanter ’71.
Since 1985, the Taylor Manuscript Awards have designated a list of Notable Books (originally called The Best of the Bunch) at the same time as it announces the winners in each category. Books that are published after being chosen as a Notable Book may be sealed with the Taylor Manuscript Seal to indicate their status as a prize-winning manuscript.
The prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards were established to recognise and reward excellence in the performing arts. The award is open to Australian and international applicants, and nominations are invited from the public at large. The judging panel is chaired by Sir Robert Menzies. A complete list of previous recipients can be found here.