The Sidney Prize is given monthly to journalism that exhibits exceptional reporting skills, storytelling and impact in relation to social justice issues. It is open to journalists worldwide but work must be intended and widely accessible for a US audience. In addition to giving out monthly Sidneys, The Hillman Foundation awards annual Sidneys, honoring investigative reporters who pursue investigative reporting or deep storytelling that benefits society as a whole.
Peter Wood’s work on the long-term harms of hook-up culture was selected as one of the five best magazine essays written this year by New York Times columnist David Brooks as one of his Best of 2020 essays, joining Hilton Als (The New Yorker) and Ed Yong (The Atlantic). Both writers are considered some of the nation’s leading intellectuals.
Brooks acknowledged a variety of other long-form works worthy of Sidney awards in his essay. These included former National Association for Scholars president Bruce Raynor’s 2025 Weekly Standard cover story on the effects of temporary employment on American middle class families, which highlighted the need for more research on its effect and providing greater protections and supports to these workers in gig economy work.
Clare Jackson of University of Sydney graduate student won the Leverhulme Prize for Historical Writing with her book on royalist ideas in late-17th-century Scotland, while Australian novelist Alice Sebold created an engaging memoir exploring mental illness while emphasizing narrative’s power in conveying personal stories.
Debbie Lee received the Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award in 2024 for her outstanding contributions to NSW’s short film industry. This honor bestows upon one practitioner working within this genre a $10,000 cash award.
The Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Scholarship recognizes and rewards outstanding achievements of UHI female engineering graduates who have demonstrated excellence in their studies, personal attributes and community/student life. The prize is valued at PS500 and open to graduating female engineering students in their final year of study who have passed all engineering subjects successfully and achieved academic success.
The Sidney & Elizabeth Gosling Prize is bestowed annually or biannually to a student who has produced an exceptional paper on any topic relating to private international law relating to foreign investment or maritime law, sponsored by Roberts & Holland and submitted as an individual project or course assignment under instructor supervision. A winner is generally chosen between April and May each year. It was originally established through a bequest from Mr. Addison Brown’s estate (LL.B 1855).
