The Sidney Prize is awarded to works that are outstanding, provocative, and illuminating. It honors the memory of the late journalist, essayist, and philosopher Sidney Hook, who championed the idea that well-crafted writing can make a difference in the world. Each year, the New York Times columnist David Brooks awards the Sidney prize to magazine essays he considers important and insightful.
The winner receives a $1000 cash prize from the Herald, a 12-month digital subscription and a chance to pitch four additional pieces for publication. Runners-up receive $500 each. To be eligible for the competition, entrants must have a current Herald subscription or take out a new one at the special subscriber rate before the deadline of 30 April each year.
Last year, 2022 prize winner Khloe Lizardo wrote about her experience of attending a public school on unceded Wangal land. She said that writing the piece helped her to grow in confidence and improve her problem-solving skills. She is now a first-year Bachelor of Advanced Economics student at the University of Sydney and hopes to continue this work in the future.
We also congratulate the winners of this year’s Sidney Prize for journalism. The judges were impressed by the quality of submissions and the depth and breadth of coverage of their topics. Their articles highlighted the need to keep people informed about the challenges facing our communities and the ways in which we can work together to address them.
In addition to the monthly Sidney prize, the Foundation also awards an annual George Barrett Award for Public Interest Law. This year’s recipient, Philippe Sands QC, was nominated for his professional career that exemplifies the spirit and activism of George Barrett – ‘Citizen’ – in striving to secure basic human rights, tackle the legacies of colonialism and protect the global environment.
The prestigious Sydney Peace Prize recognises leading global voices who promote peace, justice and non-violence. This year, we welcome the Iranian-born human rights activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi to Sydney Town Hall on 2 November for her lecture, The Case for Freedom in Iran.
The prestigious Sydney Peace Prize recognises leading international peacemakers and will be presented to Nazanin Boniadi at Sydney Town Hall on 2 November. Nazanin is the founder of Women, Life, Freedom, an organisation that mobilises and encourages people in Iran to speak out against fundamentalism and oppression in their country. She is a leading campaigner for reform of the Iranian regime and has been an outspoken critic of its treatment of women.