The Sidney Prize is awarded for work that demonstrates the highest standard of scholarship and integrity in writing. The winner receives a cash award and a certificate. In addition, the work may be published in a journal. The award is named after Sidney Hook, a distinguished American philosopher. In addition to the prize, Hook’s name adorns a memorial award given at the Phi Beta Kappa national convention to an individual who has achieved distinction in scholarship, undergraduate teaching, and service to the cause of liberal arts education.
The award is a recognition of the work of a scholar who has made a significant contribution to the field of religion and society. It is a biennial award, given by the prestigious Society for the Study of Western Civilization to one book in the field of religious studies that demonstrates the highest standard of scholarship and research. The work must be original and demonstrate a clear understanding of the subject matter. The work should also show mastery of the literature in the field. The book should contribute to the development of ideas and stimulate new lines of inquiry.
This award is presented to an advanced graduate student or recent PhD for the best unpublished article stemming from dissertation research that contributes significantly to its field and to the history of Christianity more broadly. The essay will be published in Church History.
The winner of the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is given $5000 in prize money, and two runners-up are each awarded $750. The winning submission will be published in Overland’s autumn 2024 edition, and the runners-up will have their stories posted online. The judging panel in 2023 included Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh.
In this year’s competition, the judges were particularly impressed by the writing that grappled with the issues of homelessness and the enduring human need to find shelter. Our thanks to all who submitted entries.
Winners of the Sidney Prize will be notified in April or May. All winners will receive their prizes at the Sydney Film Festival awards ceremony in June, and the winners of the major categories will be presented with their prizes by Sir Richard Branson.
All the prize winners will be presented with their mesmeric swirl awards, designed and handmade in Sydney by Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy of Dinosaur Designs. All Sydney Film Festival award winners will also be able to display their mesmeric swirl awards on their website.
We would like to thank our sponsors, including the City of Sydney, for their support. The Sydney Peace Foundation has awarded the prize to Nazanin Boniadi for her efforts to turn outrage about the oppression of women in Iran into real action. She will travel to Sydney later this year for the official ceremony and for a special public lecture at the University of Sydney. The city of Sydney congratulates her and looks forward to her visit. This is the second time that a female writer has received this prestigious prize. Previous recipients have included Hilton Als writing for The New York Times, Ed Yong writing for The Atlantic and Joanna Biggs for her book on the cult of celebrity.
