The sidney prize is an award that is given to people who have done good work in different fields of life – writing, activism and science. This is a way of honoring those who strive hard towards realizing their dreams and has become a worldwide symbol of prestige. Winners get a significant amount of money which they can use to fund their future plans and promote their work among the public.
Overland magazine and the Neilma Sidney Foundation sponsor this prize that is awarded monthly for a piece published anywhere – American magazines, newspapers or websites. It honors journalists, writers and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy in service of the common good. The entry is judged primarily on merit and whether it illuminates one of the great issues of our time – such as the search for a basis for lasting peace, the need to provide better housing, medical care and employment security to all, the fight against discrimination based on race, nationality or religion – and the struggle to secure civil liberties, democracy and freedom for all.
This year’s winner is the New York Times columnist David Brooks for his piece “The Coddling of the American Mind,” which takes aim at student hypersensitivity – the tendency to seek safe spaces from microaggressions and other threats – that has left them unprepared for life outside the ivory tower. The column was chosen by a panel of judges from the Society’s membership and was announced at the Society’s Triennial Council meeting in April. The winning author is invited to speak at the Society’s Baccalaureate service in May and receives a $20,000 prize.
Founded in 1950 by labor leader and socialist Sidney Hillman, the Hillman Foundation prizes journalism that illuminates the great issues of our time, such as the search for a basis for permanent peace; the need to provide better housing, health care and employment security to all; and the fight against discrimination based on race, religion or nationality. The foundation also supports scholarship and research in history, civics, the arts and other areas of undergraduate teaching at Dartmouth.
Sidney Hook Memorial Awards
The Sidney Hook Memorial Award was established in 1991 to honor the memory of a distinguished philosopher and Phi Beta Kappa member who had national distinction in three endeavors: scholarship, undergraduate teaching and leadership in the cause of liberal arts education. It is one of the Society’s highest prizes and is intended to recognize a single scholar who has achieved national distinction in each of these endeavors, with an emphasis on the first. Nominations are made a year and a half prior to each Triennial Council in the Key Reporter, General Newsletter and through social media. The winner is honored at the Society’s Triennial Council Meeting and is publicly recognized in the prestigious “Award Ceremony” and in the press. This prize is funded by a contribution from the John Dewey Foundation.
