The Sidney Prize is a monthly award for journalism that exposes social and economic injustices. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges. In addition to monetary prizes, winners receive an engraved medallion. The prize is administered by the Hillman Foundation, a left-leaning organization that also awards scholarships to students who want to work in journalism and the arts. Workers United, an organized labor advocacy group, serves on the foundation’s board of trustees.
In honor of Sidney Cox, professor of English at Dartmouth from 1927 to 1952, a fund has been established to provide an annual prize for that piece of undergraduate writing which best meets the high standard of originality and integrity which he himself set both for himself and for his students. This prize, which is the result of contributions from his friends and former students, has been established at $100 this year.
From the very beginnings of Overland, we’ve been committed to supporting great writing and thinking. We know that long-form writing is not as popular as it once was, and that shorter forms of writing are often seen as more valuable than thoughtful analysis or argument. That’s why we’re happy to announce that our 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is open for submissions. This is a chance for writers to submit an essay of up to 3000 words on the theme of travel, which will be published in Overland and awarded a first prize of $5000 (plus two runners-up who will be published online).
Our previous winners have included a physicist who’s connecting art, media and literature to science, a journalist investigating state income taxes and a reporter who’s been exposing corruption at local level. In an era when the internet seems to have destroyed all boundaries, our Sidney Prize recognizes work that shows how important it is to stand up for free speech and truth.
To be considered for the prize, please submit an essay via our submissions portal by the end of this month. The winner will be announced the second Wednesday of each month. In order to be eligible, submissions must be accompanied by a short statement about why it was written and a signed copyright release form (pdf, 37KB). Submissions should be made using a pseudonym. For more information, read the full guidelines. Please note that by submitting your work to us, you agree to allow us to publish it in full. A selection committee of journalists and academics will judge the entries. The winner will be announced in May 2023.