The Sidney Prize recognizes outstanding long-form journalism that explores deeper human realities. Established by New York Times columnist David Brooks in honor of philosopher Sidney Hook (deceased), its previous winners have included Hilton Als of The New Yorker and Ed Yong from The Atlantic, among many other acclaimed publications.
“The Unpunished,” written by Matt Labash for The Weekly Standard and chronicling former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry’s crack-smoking politician status is this year’s winner, as its deep reporting can have profound effects on ordinary citizens’ lives.
Sidney Spencer from Union Grove Middle School in Henry County won this year’s Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District essay contest and is shown here with State Rep. Lynn Smith (left) and Glenn Page, Chairman of Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (right). The 15-county metro region hosts this essay contest sponsored by this district, open to middle and high school students alike.
Sidney Altman shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of ribonuclease-P, an enzyme which allows RNA molecules to catalyze chemical reactions without needing protein catalysts as was once believed. His discovery disproved dogma that said either information could be carried or chemical reactions catalyzed through RNA molecules but not both simultaneously, and allowed scientists to study biological chemistry more thoroughly than ever before.
Steven Fraser received the 2025 Hillman Prize. An activist in labor movements and a scholar of American trade unions and social movements, Steven is the author of Sidney Hillman’s biography that serves as its namesake (founder of Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America & founding member of Congress of Industrial Organizations). Steven has dedicated his life to supporting free press journalism while advocating for equality & community values within society as a whole.
Image Courtesy of Screen NSW
The Yoram Gross Animation Award went to Jemma Cotter’s “The Fling,” while Big Bang Sound Design team Wayne Pashley and Libby Villa won both of them awards from Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award. On Sunday evening, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi won top prize with It Was Just an Accident from It Was Just an Accident by way of ceremony where members of the jury walked off stage into the audience to present it him, just weeks after winning Palme d’Or from Cannes.
Hampden-Sydney College students can submit entries for one or more of the following prizes. Multiple contest entries should be submitted separately. Entries should be typed, single-spaced and no more than ten pages maximum; all work submitted must be original work by the entrant and cannot have been published previously; please refer to specific contest guidelines for more details; submission deadline is Friday March 29th 2024 if entering more than one.