The Sydney Prize and the Edelstein and Hook Memorial Awards

A Sydney prize is an innovative way of honoring people who are making positive impacts on humanity through a variety of fields such as writing, activism and science. Winners receive significant amounts of money that can help them fund future projects or encourage other people to follow their path. These awards also serve as a great way to promote science and its importance in our everyday lives.

Each year the Sydney Peace Foundation honors a nominee who has promoted “peace with justice”, human rights and nonviolence. Past winners include Julian Burnside, Prof Noam Chomsky and the former Irish president Mary Robinson. This year, Iranian-born activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi won the prize for her work in advancing women’s rights in Iran.

Nazanin’s efforts have helped to transform outrage into action, and we are honored to recognize her for this prestigious award. Her tireless efforts are helping to bring about social change and improve the lives of Iranian women and children.

The Sidney Hook Memorial Award is an honor bestowed by Phi Beta Kappa in memory of the distinguished American philosopher who exemplified scholarship, undergraduate teaching and leadership in the cause of liberal arts education. The award is accompanied by an engraved plaque and a check for $500. The prize is awarded at the society’s triennial Council Meeting. Nominations are sought a year and a half prior to the Council Meeting via Key Reporter, the general newsletter, and social media.

Founded in 1968 by the late Dr. Sidney Edelstein and his wife, the award honors an outstanding scholarly book on the history of technology. The Edelstein Prize is administered by the Society for History of Technology and is presented at the society’s annual Council Meeting. Nominations are open a year and a half prior to each Council Meeting via the Key Reporter, the general newsletter, and in conjunction with a call for papers on the history of technology for a special issue of the journal History of Technology.

Named after the renowned American writer, poet and 19th-century Southerner, this literary prize is open to fiction and nonfiction that exemplifies the distinctive and enduring literary tradition of writing about the South. The winner of the Sidney Lanier Prize will be selected by a panel of judges consisting of Mercer University faculty members.

The Hillman Prize, established in 1950, is “given to journalists, writers and public figures who pursue the responsibilities of a free press.” The prize has been awarded to contributors to the daily, periodical and labor presses, as well as authors.

The Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is open to writers from Australia and beyond who can produce a moving, powerful and original piece of short fiction on the theme of travel. The winner receives $5000, publication in Overland and two runner-up stories will be published online alongside the print edition. Subscribers to Overland can enter the competition at a discounted rate. For further information, visit the Overland website.