In a year when political division has become the norm, the Sidney Prize encourages people to step back and look at the big picture. Walter Russell Mead’s “The Once and Future Liberalism” in The American Interest is a case in point. He contends that our current debate is between two very different versions of liberalism: the small state Manchester liberalism of the 1890s, and the large organization managerial state liberalism of the 1950s.

The Society for the History of Technology has named York University professor Edward Jones-Imhotep winner of the 2018 Sidney Edelstein Prize. This is the first time that a faculty member from a Canadian institution has received this prestigious award in SHOT’s 50-year history. Jones-Imhotep is a Professor in the Department of History at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, where he teaches HIST 1777: Disasters and History.

He is also a Fellow of Trinity Hall, where he serves as Senior Tutor and Walter Grant Scott Fellow. Previously, he was a Junior Research Fellow at Sidney. Jones-Imhotep is an expert on the history of dyes and dye processes, a field in which he has published extensively. He is the author of more than a dozen books and has received several awards for his scholarship.

Founded in 1946, the Hillman Foundation seeks to illuminate the major issues of our time by awarding monetary prizes to journalism in service of the common good. The Hillman Foundation also supports the monthly Sidney Awards, which are given to investigative journalism that exposes social and economic injustices. The 2024 winners are:

First place receives $5000 in prize money, and the two runners-up each get $750. The winning story will be printed in Overland’s autumn issue, and the runners-up stories will be published online.

Last year’s winner was ‘Who Rattles the Night?’ by Claire Aman. The story describes how a couple struggles to adjust to their new home when they discover it is inhabited by ghosts.

The Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is open to writers of any nationality who have not been previously published in a literary publication. The judging panel is made up of a diverse range of writers and editors. The judges will be looking for a story that is original, interesting and has been written in the best possible manner.

The deadline for the nomination of articles for the prize is the last day of each month. The articles must have been published in the previous month. For further information on the award please see our rules page. The Sidney Prize is awarded in memory of journalist Sydney Schanberg, and is supported by his widow Jane Freiman Schanberg. The prizes are a tribute to his passion for excellence in long-form reporting and enterprise journalism. The prize is dedicated to illuminating the great issues of our times: the search for a basis for lasting peace, the quest for better housing, medical care and employment security, and the battle against discrimination based on race, nationality or religion.