The Sidney Prize is given out annually by the National Association of Scholars to an individual who has made outstanding contributions in defense of academic freedom and integrity. It was named in honour of American philosopher Sidney Hook whose works helped define modern ideas about what role humanities should play within academia.
Each year, The New York Times honors the best long-form magazine essays of the previous year and numerous these articles explored the intersection between science and the humanities. Intellectual heavyweights Steven Pinker and Leon Wieseltier engaged in heated debate in The New Republic over whether science provides insight into our lives or simply mirrors our biases.
2024 Topic: An interdisciplinary examination of the causes and impacts of biodiversity loss, with submissions accepted from multiple disciplines (including ecology, economics, geography, history, political science sociology law philosophy religious studies etc). Please see guidelines for more details.
Professor Sidney Thomas was an esteemed member of the art history department and renowned scholar of Shakespeare and art history. During his teaching tenure, he inspired many students and colleagues alike to embrace humanistic analysis of art’s relation to other fields of knowledge, while editing two standard reference works within his field and contributing actively to scholarly dialogue. This award honors him.
Winners will be honored with Louise Olsen of Dinosaur Designs creating a mesmerising swirl award to commemorate their win, along with receiving an Overland special edition featuring their winning essay fully.
Each prize has its own set of criteria, but all are judged by an independent panel of leading experts who can be found listed on each prize page.
SFF provides 10 smaller awards in addition to its main prizes. Winners of these awards receive their award and Louise Olsen created and handmade an eye-catching swirl trophy especially for this festival in Sydney.
This award recognizes an undergraduate student whose written work shows outstanding promise in art and art history studies. Their essay should explore how art contributes to cultural and historical understanding while making a convincing case for its significance. This award is sponsored by the University of Sydney and judged by an external team of specialists. A winner is announced each June; their prize of $1,000 cash and a certificate from Dean of Arts comes as part of this package. The winner may enter the Judith Wright Poetry Prize and Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize in round two, open to Australian students of all ages and disciplines. For more information regarding these prizes please refer to their guidelines; deadline for this prize is 30 June; late entries may not be considered by judges and will ultimately be judged accordingly.
