The Sidney Prizes, named for philosopher and essayist Sidney Hook, go to some of the best magazine essays of the year. The prize celebrates long-form writing that carries narrative drive and social impact. The first rule is that the Sidneys cannot go to any piece that appeared in the New York Times. That rules out Hilton Als’s New Yorker essay on being held captive by the Taliban and Ed Yong’s Atlantic essay about his eviction from his apartment. But those pieces, along with many others, do possess the virtues that the Sidneys are meant to honor.
A few decades ago, a few friends of the late Sidney Cox raised funds with the aim of establishing a prize for that undergraduate writing which most nearly meets the high standards of originality and integrity that he himself set both for his students and for himself. The prize is not intended to be a literary trophy but rather a recognition of the generative influence that Cox exerted on hundreds of Dartmouth students in and out of his classes.
Each winner will receive the festival’s signature mesmeric swirl award, designed and handmade in Sydney by Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy of Dinosaur Designs. Winners are also presented with a cash prize of $10,000, which is courtesy of Event Cinemas and supported by Screen NSW.
This prize is awarded to an undergraduate student studying the Advanced Economics program in the Bachelor of Economic and Bachelor of Advanced Studies, who produces a piece of written work on a selected topic. Students must be enrolled in the second or third year of the pre-Honours program at the time of the competition.
The 2023 Neilma Sidney Prize is proudly sponsored by Overland and awarded by a panel of judges including senior Herald editors and Tara June Winch. The winning writer will be published in Overland’s autumn edition and will be given a full-year subscription to the journal. Two runners-up will be published online alongside the autumn issue.
We ask writers to disclose whether their entry takes up a marginalised or vulnerable identity, which is not necessarily the identity of the writer themselves. This question is optional and will only be visible to internal editors unless requested after consideration of a submission.
The Sydney Morning Herald Essay Prize offers the opportunity for young people to have their work read by a wide audience of readers. It is open to Australian residents aged below 24 who wish to write about what makes them optimistic about the future of Sydney or NSW. The winning essay will be published in the Sydney Morning Herald and the winner will spend a day in the Herald newsroom with the editorial team. Entries close on Monday 2 October. Click here for more information and to submit your essay. The winner will be notified by Monday 9 November. The Sydney Morning Herald is not responsible for any travel or accommodation costs associated with the prize.