The Sidney Prize and Other Prizes For Students and Teachers

Sidney Prize stands as an emblem of higher education excellence and should be bestowed upon those deserving it, such as students and teachers alike. This prize recognizes those who work tirelessly toward realizing their dreams while inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. Additionally, this coveted award provides a way to recognize outstanding achievement across fields including arts & literature, education, science, business, politics & law – among many others!

The Sydney Prize was created in memory of Dartmouth professor Sidney Cox, known for his literary talent and ability to motivate students towards reaching their dreams. This scholarship is open to graduate students across all fields and may be awarded for various creative pursuits; although essays must meet certain criteria to win.

George Packer won this year’s highly-coveted Sydney Prize for his profile of Germany’s Angela Merkel published in The New Yorker. This piece not only chronicled her rise as a powerful leader, but also illustrated how her approach differed from previous leaders of history. This riveting read underscored the value of having diverse voices representing all aspects of life in our country and throughout history.

Phi Beta Kappa’s national prizes, the Sidney Hook Award recognizes outstanding scholarship and undergraduate teaching of broad academic character. Recipients are honored at our Triennial Council meeting and their names appear in Key Reporter and General Newsletter publications of Phi Beta Kappa Society.

If you would like to submit a book for consideration, please read through our guidelines here and submit entries by Monday 2 October 2022. The winner will spend a day in the Herald newsroom as well as receiving both digital subscription and Dymocks Books vouchers as prizes.

Overland magazine and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are hosting The Neilma Sydney Short Story Prize competition, where one winner will win $5,000 cash and have their short story published in Overland’s autumn issue. Two runners-up will each be given $750 as prizes.

There are also plenty of great prizes for young writers available today, like the Hillman Prizes given out each year to journalists who excel in investigative reporting and deep storytelling on behalf of public interest issues – recent recipients include Jane Mayer’s coverage of Dick Cheney’s violations of domestic and international law; ProPublica’s investigation on hospice privatization; and More Perfect Union’s agenda-setting videos exploring corporate greed as examples.

The Iwanter Prize is an annual award presented to a UW-Madison senior who, through their senior thesis and overall academic distinction, exemplifies outstanding humanities-based scholarship of broad scope. Established by generous donation from Iwanter (BA History 1971) upon graduating the university in 2000, this prize carries on Iwanter’s legacy by documenting knowledge for future generations and their benefit. To learn more about this prize please see its website here.