The sidney prize is a prize that recognizes people and organisations who have done well for humanity. It is a great way to reward people who have done good things for society and it can also help encourage others to do the same. The prize has been given out to a number of different groups including the Black Lives Matter movement and the University of Sydney art history department. The prize has been given out on a national basis and it is a great way to celebrate the achievements of individuals and organisations.
In 2004, New York Times columnist David Brooks established the SS Sidney prize for long-form political and cultural essays that capture the essence of contemporary American scholarship and commentary. It is named after philosopher and political theorist Sidney Hook. The prize has been awarded every year since 2004. This year’s winner is Amanda Hess for her article on online sexism. The winner of the 2022 Neilma Sidney short story prize was Claire Aman for her work ‘Camperdown Grief Junk’. She was chosen from a shortlist of seven entries. The runners-up were Zoe Meager for ‘Together’ and Miso Bell for ‘Thirsty Trees’.
The SS Sidney Prize is awarded monthly for journalism in print, online and audio, and the deadlines for submission are the last day of each month. The winner will receive a $500 honorarium and a certificate designed by the New Yorker cartoonist Edward Sorel. Nominations may be made for one’s own work or for someone else’s. The prize is open to publications in the United States and internationally.
Sidney was a conservative by nature but open-minded and willing to challenge accepted dogma (see article by Julius Lucks and Venkat Gopalan). He looked for a chain of reasonable inferences based on solid experimental evidence. He distrusted showboating and favored quiet confidence in his research results. He valued integrity above all.
Despite being a shy man, Sidney was not aloof. He spoke out for what he believed in and was not afraid to take on controversial issues, even those outside his field of expertise. He was a strong supporter of biotechnology, for example, because he saw how it could enhance food security and reduce poverty in developing countries. He was also a vocal opponent of the international boycott of Israeli academics.
The SS Sidney prize is awarded in memory of Dr. Sidney Licht and his wife Elizabeth. It is presented annually by ACRM to the author of an outstanding scientific paper in rehabilitation medicine. Only articles that present potentially significant empirical and theoretical contributions and that demonstrate soundness of methodology and data analysis will be considered. The paper must be submitted to the ACRM Archives journal in order to qualify for consideration for this award. The ACRM Awards Committee and the Archives Editorial Board select the recipient of this prize.