A sidney prize is given to individuals or teams that have made significant contributions in any area – academic, athletic or cultural, as well as social or political. A person may receive multiple sidney prizes throughout their life – examples include Nobel prize winners, best-selling authors, Academy award winning actors or actresses and professional athletes. Sidney prizes do not occur regularly but occasionally; when awarded, these awards are usually decided upon by panels of experts in that particular field and usually presented on a national basis.
Sidney Cox was an esteemed professor of English at Dartmouth for 24 years, renowned for his writing and teaching influence. This prize honors undergraduate writing that adheres to his high standards for originality and integrity in his classes; starting in 1985 under his chairmanship, an award committee awarded its inaugural prize of $100 in 1985, meeting annually thereafter to award prizes that remain current today; current committee members include Budd Schulberg ’36 from The Nation; John Kelleher ’39 (an author and professor of Irish culture at Harvard); A. B. Guthrie from Writer; Richard M Rogin (New York City).
Sidney Prize recipients often have strong ties to Hamilton College. Sidney was not only an excellent economics professor but was also a talented poet and short story writer – students loved him and many wrote stories about their interactions with him which were later published in student publications such as The Overland or collected as Sidney Prize Stories books.
Hamilton students remain inspired by their legendary predecessors. Sidney College boasts a distinguished legacy that boasts Nobel Prize winners, world-renowned scholars and artists, politicians, lawyers, businessmen, musicians and scientists – as well as having created new roads towards building a more peaceful society by serving as journalists, soldiers, teachers, religious leaders and civic activists.
The Hillman Foundation was established in 1950 to honor journalistic pursuit of truth and public service through investigative reporting, policy advocacy and social justice impact. Named in honor of the founder and first President of Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, an early precursor of Workers United SEIU, this award recognizes reportorial excellence, storytelling skill, and social justice impact in each month’s winner selection process. American magazines, newspapers and online publications can compete in this monthly contest for honorable mention. A different winner is honored each month. The annual Sidney Levy Award recognizes an article based on a CCT dissertation thesis published in an English-language journal within the last year and published in an English-language journal in English language journal (for more information visit Hillman Foundation website), with applicants encouraged to submit their articles via prize website.