Sydney Prize is an award that honors excellent long-form journalism and thought pieces. Winners are praised by many and often get a mention in the New York Times. Past winners include Hilton Als’ series on the Haitian debt, Rose Arce’s story about being held captive by Taliban, and Ed Yong’s writing for The Atlantic.
This award was founded by Sidney Hollander, a Baltimore businessman who donated substantial amounts of money for African American social work and activism. It is named after him to honor his dedication to achieving equal rights for African Americans. It is given each month to a piece of journalism that exposes a particular form of injustice or inequality in society. The deadline for nominations is the last day of each month. The winner will be announced the following Wednesday. The winner will be awarded $500 and a gold seal that can be used to place on books that have won the award.
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is an annual literary prize given by the AJL Foundation to an outstanding children’s or young adult book. The prize was established in memory of AJL founding member and volunteer librarian, Sydney Taylor, who worked tirelessly to promote social justice through reading. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges and will be published in 2024.
A runner-up will also be selected and receive a silver seal. The winning titles are also included in a collection, which is available for library use. The book list is made up of diverse titles that appeal to a wide range of readers. This year’s nominees are Richard Ho and Lynn Scurfield, Two New Years; Mari Lowe, The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman; and Elana Khouri, The Girl Who Cried Wolf.
Several prizes are awarded to individuals and groups who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Hertz community. The Raymond Sidney Volunteer Leadership Award honors Hertz Fellows who have provided exemplary leadership in building the Foundation community and fostering the Hertz spirit through their service to a particular project or issue, their generosity in opening their homes to other Hertz Fellows, their encouragement of fellow Hertz Fellows, and/or their dedication to community-building activities.
Scholarships and grants are available for students who wish to pursue a specific field of study or career. Some scholarships require a special application while others are awarded based on academic achievement. Some scholarships have a specific eligibility criteria, such as a minimum GPA or standardized test score.
Several awards are given to students who have accomplished great things in their fields. The most prestigious are the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize, but there are a number of smaller awards that can be just as valuable to someone’s professional life. Some of these awards are given annually, while others are only given to those who have done extraordinary things. The University of Sydney offers a wide variety of academic merit prizes, and these awards are one way to recognize outstanding achievements.