Sidney Prize is an prestigious award presented annually to those who have published an original piece of writing within the past year. Winners receive a small cash award and an engraved plaque, as well as being permitted to use the Sydney Prize name on their work. Anyone wishing to enter should visit our various prize pages for more details on entering this competition.
The Sidney Prize recognizes an essay published within the past year on any specific topic, judged to be written well and engagingly, comprising approximately 500 words in length. Applicants should submit an essay about a chosen subject that can be judged by our panel of judges as winning entry.
The Sidney Prize stands out among university prizes by being open to students of all disciplines and offering undergraduates a chance to earn some extra cash without needing to afford tuition themselves. Established in the 1960s and named for an ex-Sidney College professor, its creators sought to give back to the community that had supported them by encouraging young people to continue their studies at universities.
Sidney earned its scientific distinction during the nineteenth century through outstanding teachers such as Oliver Bulman who made famous Stephen Jay Gould’s discovery of Burgess Shale; C T R Wilson (the visionary Nobel physicist who pioneered Cloud Chamber); E J H Corner, botanist and plant breeder; W T Stearn an outstanding inorganic chemist; Alexander McCance (nutritionist and Sir William Jackson Pope cardiologer); C F Powell, nuclear physicist who co-created Atom Bomb; C F Powell; engineers Thomas Charlton Keith Glover and Paul Scott among others.
This year’s Sidney Hillman Prize winners follow in the tradition of their namesake Murray Kempton, Edward R Murrow, and other labor historians who brought awareness of such essential issues as housing, medical care and employment for all; building lasting peace; fighting for civil liberties and democracy; combatting discrimination of all kinds. Steven Fraser will provide invaluable insight on why free press is essential in creating a just and equal society.
SHOT also gives out several other prizes each year, such as the Sidney Edelstein Prize for books on the history of technology, the Sally Hacker Prize for outstanding undergraduate student papers on that subject and Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize awarded to early career scholars presenting for the first time at one of its meetings. For more information about any or all these awards please see their respective prize pages on this site.