The Sidney Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding history of science and technology book that can be understood by both non-specialist and specialist readers alike. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious prizes in this field. The winner receives a cash prize and a plaque. The selection is made by the SHOT Awards and Prizes Committee from nominations submitted from within its membership. The book must be published during the previous year.

Awarded to an undergraduate writing piece which most nearly meets those high standards of originality and integrity that Sidney Cox set for himself and his students in his classes and his book Indirections for Those Who Want to Write. Any type of undergraduate writing may be entered, but it must be in English and should show evidence of the highest literary qualities.

The prize was established in memory of Sidney E. Mead, professor of history at the University of Sydney and author of several books on Australian colonial and imperial history. It is a recognition of the importance of Australian historical research and the role that scholarship in this area can play in fostering peace with justice. It is a major contribution to the study of Australia’s past, and a tribute to the life of its founding professor.

In 1989, a young molecular biologist named Sidney Altman shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas R. Cech for their discovery that RNA, previously known only as a carrier of genetic codes between parts of the cell, also actively aids the triggering and acceleration of vital chemical reactions in cells. This revolutionary discovery overturned the dogma that only proteins could perform enzymatic activities and catalyze chemical reactions in living organisms, opening up whole new fields of scientific investigation and biotechnology.

This annual prize honors a student who has demonstrated excellence in the first two years of graduate study and shows promise for future accomplishment. It is made possible through the generous endowment of the late Dr. and Mrs. Sidney B. Edelstein, longtime leaders in the dye industry and founders of a specialty chemical manufacturing company.

2024 Prize Winners

The Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is open to all writers nationally and internationally at any stage in their career. The winning writer will receive $5000 and their short story will be published in Overland. Two runners-up will each receive $750.

For more information about the Judith Wright Poetry Prize and the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, see the Overland website. To apply for the prize, take out a new Overland subscription at the discounted subscriber rate and enter the competition.

The Hillman Foundation presents monthly Sidney Prizes for journalism that serves the common good, honoring winners across both America and Canada. The call for entries for 2025 opens on November 12, 2024. The full breakdown of prize money this year is shown below, with the US dollar amounts converted to GBP and Euros for comparison purposes.