The Sidney Prize is awarded monthly to an outstanding piece of journalism that exposes social and economic injustices. The prize also honours investigative work by a journalist that is backed up by evidence and is based on an objective assessment of the facts and a deep consideration of its implications.
The prize is named after the late Sidney Myer whose vision and generous support helped Australia to excel in the performing arts. Each year the award was determined by a national judging panel. This included representatives from the arts community and other members of the public. The panel took into account not only past achievement, but also potential to continue making contributions through the performing arts into the future.
In 1985, the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee began to designate Honor Books in addition to the prize winning titles. Honor Books are books that have been judged to be of exceptional merit and interest to both general and scholarly readers. In 1998 the committee expanded this category to include a Notable Books list that is published at the same time as the list of prize winners.
The Sidney Thomas Prize for Art History is awarded annually to the best undergraduate student paper in the field of art history, and is named for Professor Sidney Thomas (1915-2009), who was a pioneer in teaching and scholarship in this area. Originally trained in literary studies, Thomas moved to art history upon his arrival at Syracuse University. He edited two benchmark publications in the field, The Nature of Art and Images of Man: Selected Readings in Arts and Ideas in Western Civilization.
The Animal Law and Policy Program awards, up to twice per academic year, the Sidney Prize for the most outstanding papers written by Harvard Law School students in a course, seminar, clinic, graduate degree, or as part of an independent study project on any topic that deals with the law as it pertains to animals (including law, ethics, policy, and philosophy). Papers may address law, ethics, policy, or philosophical issues as they relate to the welfare of humans and nonhuman animals, and are not restricted to any particular field. The Sidney Prize carries a cash award of $1,000. The runner-up will receive $500.