A sidney prize is an award given out to people or groups that have done good work and made a difference to society. There are many different sidney prizes that are given out throughout the year and they each have their own criteria. Some of them are awarded for a specific area of work such as science or art. Others are awarded for a wider range of things such as peace or activism.
The 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize has been awarded to Yeena Kirkbright for her story ‘Camperdown Grief Junk’. The prize comes with a cash prize of $5,000 and the winning story will be published in Overland magazine. The judges, Laura Elvery, Paige Clark and Michael Winkler would like to thank all the finalists for their wonderful stories. You can read all of the shortlisted stories here.
Sidney was always looking for a chain of reasonable inferences that could be supported by strong experimental evidence and he hated overstatement. This attitude was one of the reasons that his colleagues respected him so much. He also believed that the truth was self-evident and that it was a scientist’s responsibility to question the current state of knowledge.
He was not only a gifted scientist but he also had the ability to inspire his students. This was due to his humility, sense of fair play and his ability to explain complex ideas simply. He also cherished a strong sense of community and was a passionate supporter of academic freedom. In this way, he was the quintessential role model for younger generations of scientists.
In the laboratory, Sid was always willing to challenge accepted dogma. He was cautious by nature but he was also open-minded and always looked for ways to improve upon the existing paradigm. Sid also firmly believed that scientists should be prepared to stand up for their convictions and to criticise the research of others, even when this meant risking their own career prospects.
The Lucy Firth Honours Thesis Prize is awarded to a student who has completed an Honours thesis in Philosophy and has been impacted by extenuating circumstances during their studies at the University of Sydney. This is a great opportunity for students to receive some extra money to help with their studies.
The Sydney Peace Prize is an annual award established by the Sydney Peace Foundation to honour a person or organisation that has promoted “peace with justice, human rights and non-violence”. This year’s winner was the Black Lives Matter movement which was founded by Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi after the acquittal of George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin. The prize has also been awarded to the Sydney Opera House and the University of Sydney’s art history department. It is a great way to recognise people who are making a positive impact in the world.