The Sidney Prize honors that piece of undergraduate writing which most nearly meets the high standards of originality and integrity set by Professor Sidney Cox in his teaching and his book Indirections for Those Who Want to Write. It is open to all undergraduate writing and may be written in any subject. The prize is named after 19th-century Southern poet and novelist Sidney Lanier.
The 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize went to Annie Zhang, a writer and editor living on unceded Wangal land, for her story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’, which will be published in Overland. The winner receives $5000, and two runners-up will have their stories published online coinciding with Overland’s print edition. The judges for this year’s competition were Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh.
Winners and shortlisted writers for the 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award have been announced. See the list here. The Sydney Taylor Book Award is administered by the AJL Book Awards committee, which is separate from the editorial board of AJL. It is intended to encourage aspiring authors of Jewish children’s fiction by awarding an annual prize for the best manuscript written for readers ages 8-11.
In the era of “fake news” and partisanship, this is an important time to celebrate journalism that seeks truth and fairness. The Hillman Prizes are a way to honor journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good. The prizes are awarded each April in Washington, DC. The call for entries closed Jan 30.
Winners will be notified in mid-April. For more information about the Hillman Prizes, including how to apply for 2025, please visit our website.
We are proud to announce that alumnus Robert Menand ’51 won the 2024 Hillman Prize for Nonfiction for his book “Why Did You Do That?: A History of Sexual Assault and Violence in the United States.” The book explores the sexual assault epidemic and how it is connected to American culture and history.
Founded in memory of a UAW member and union activist, the Sidney Hillman Foundation provides awards to support journalistic pursuits of truth in the service of the public interest. The Hillman Prizes are funded by donations from family, friends and colleagues of the late labor organizer Sidney Hillman, who was president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, a forerunner of Unite Here and Workers United, SEIU. The Hillman Prizes are overseen by an independent trustee, Thornton O’Glove, who is a former president of the International Association of Machinists.
If your entry takes up the voice or experience of a marginalised or vulnerable identity, do you identify as part of that community or experience? While this question is optional, we ask that all authors consider it carefully as they prepare their submissions. Your response will be visible only to internal editors unless requested otherwise. We do not expect that you will answer this question about your own work, but we hope it will help our judges to be more informed in their consideration of your submission.