The sidney prize is awarded on a national basis to an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to Australia’s culture, society or economy. The award is presented at a ceremony held at the end of each year.
The prizes were established by an initial donation of $21 000 from the Committee of the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts in 1997. They are awarded annually, on the recommendation of the Professor of Australian Literature and Head of the Department of English, to a student of Australian Literature who achieves outstanding results in senior units of study in Australian Literature, provided that the work is of sufficient merit.
Aside from the Prize itself, the University also presents several other awards. One of these is the MAK Halliday Postgraduate Research Prize, which is awarded to the best postgraduate research student in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Sydney.
Another prize is the Sidney Prize for Investigative Journalism, which is given to a journalist who has written an exceptional piece of investigative journalism in the previous calendar year. In 2011, the prize was awarded to CMD and The Nation for their work on the “Temp Land” investigation, and in 2013 to ProPublica for their coverage of “George Zimmerman’s Temp Land”.
There is also an annual poetry prize. The prize is given to an unpublished poet in memory of Judith Wright and named after her, with winners being selected from a shortlist. The prize is worth $5000.
In addition to the literary prizes, there are several awards for sports people and sports teams as well. The Sydney Football League has a prize for the best player in the Premiership, the AFL has a prize for the best player in junior and senior competitions and the National Basketball Association has a prize for the player with the most championship rebounds.
Despite the fact that the prize is often regarded as a minor one, it does serve as an important marker of excellence in sport and can encourage future achievement. Moreover, the prize has been cited by sports people as being important for the social and professional development of its recipients.
The prize has also been recognised for its role in encouraging a greater understanding of the relationship between sport and social responsibility. It is also known as the “social impact prize”.
Aside from the prizes, there are several other awards for sportspeople and sports teams as well. The Sydney Football league has a prize for the best player in a club, the AFL has a prize for a player with the most championship rebounds and the National Basketball Association has a prize to reward the most dominant player in basketball.
In terms of sports, the sidney prize has been a very popular one. It has been credited with bringing together a diverse range of athletes from all over the world to compete in an event that is both challenging and exciting.