Among the many prizes offered to young writers, the Neilma Sydney Prize is perhaps one of the most prominent. Awarded by Overland magazine and the Neilma Sidney Foundation, this prize offers a first-place winner $5,000 cash plus publication in Overland and online. There are also two runners-up, who receive $750 each. The contest is open to all. This year, the winning story is by Annie Zhang for ‘Who Rattles the Night?,’ which follows a couple who learns to live with ghosts in their new home.
The Sydney Peace Prize is a annual award given to an individual or organisation who has shown a dedication to peace with justice and human rights. It is named in honour of Sir Sidney Sydney Cox, a Dartmouth College professor who was renowned for his literary talents and ability to inspire his students. This award aims to reward the most exceptional work in this field and, in doing so, reflects the high standards which he set himself in his teaching.
In the past, winners of the Sydney Prize have included Hilton Als writing for the New York Times and Ed Yong writing for The Atlantic. The prize is an important part of the larger effort to promote thoughtful, long-form journalism in the United States and abroad.
This year, the prize was awarded to the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement, founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, sprang from the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2013. The movement seeks to highlight the systematic killings of African-American citizens and promote dialogue about how people can take action in their own communities.
In addition to the Sidney Prize, the Hillman Foundation also awards a monthly journalism prize known as the Sidney Edelstein Prize for Socially Conscious Journalism. The prize, which has been presented since 1968, is named in honor of the late president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), who worked tirelessly for a more progressive and industrial democracy in America. The prize is presented to journalists whose work exemplifies these principles and serves the interests of working people in this country.
The prestigious New York Times Book Prize for non-fiction is another prominent prize awarded to young writers. The New York Times Book Review’s editorial team selects the winner for their “excellence in writing and a distinguished contribution to knowledge” of an outstanding work of non-fiction published during the previous year. The winner is announced each April.
Lastly, the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association (ALEA) North Local Council Award is an annually-awarded prize to recognise a student’s performance in their final year core unit of study. The winner of this prize will be considered for the Sydney Prize, in light of the qualities that ALEA and Sidney Hook share, especially an effective exploration of feelings through language.