A sidney prize is an acclaimed award that can be bestowed in various fields. These awards usually honor individuals or organizations that make an enduring difference in society; recipients typically include individuals or organizations involved with peace with justice, human rights or diversity inclusion work, science or art as well as science and literature studies (e.g. the 2023 Andrew Gemant Prize awarded to students making significant contributions in these areas).
Sid was generally reserved in his approach; yet was welcoming of new ideas from his students and was willing to consider their thoughts thoroughly. His aim was always to find strong inferences supported by rigorous experimental evidence without overstatements; Sid understood the scientific community could be harsh when judging scientific advances, so was always ready for its harsh criticisms.
He was an extremely generous teacher and mentor, going the extra mile to assist his students. He made it a point to attend each graduate student conference they held; he took great pride in seeing them become leaders within their fields.
Sidney was a lifelong learner. He read widely – particularly books on history and philosophy – visited museums and historic sites frequently and traveled widely, visiting multiple countries to experience different cultures first-hand. Sidney always shared his knowledge and excitement for life with others.
Long-form journalism and thought pieces remain effective ways of engaging readers, challenging assumptions, and prompting thought in today’s short attention span world. Hilton Als writes for The New York Times; Ed Yong for The Atlantic; Ta-Nehisi Coates writes for The Washington Post and Ta-Nehisi Coates has produced his work there as examples. Despite their time commitment, these types of articles offer more insight and change than brief news updates that provide little or no benefit.
Scholarships and fellowships exist that acknowledge those working to promote social change. One such award was the Black Lives Matter Sydney Peace Prize recently, presented to Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi for their efforts. Furthermore, Phi Beta Kappa Andrew Gemant Scholarly Excellence in Scholarship Award recognizes national distinction for one scholar in scholarship, undergraduate teaching and leadership within liberal arts education.
Overland magazine and Malcolm Robertson Foundation host various Sidney Prize competitions for both fiction and nonfiction writers, the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize being an example. Entries close every month at midnight (submission deadline is always last day of month); submissions open to anyone with valid Overland subscription; judges shortlist eight stories before selecting their winner on second Wednesday of every month – these contests offer excellent opportunities to showcase writing talent!