The Sydney Prize

Sydney Prize

The University of Sydney offers a number of prizes for written work. These awards are available to students enrolled in the university and may be awarded to individuals or groups. In most cases, the prizes require submission of written work on a particular topic. Winners are usually notified in May of the year following the award. Applicants should submit their work using a pseudonym, and all submissions must be original.

For the best essay written in an English course, the University of Sydney offers the Sidney Cox Memorial Prize. The essay must meet the high standards of originality and integrity that Sidney Cox set for himself in his writings and teaching. It may be on any subject that is appropriate for undergraduate writing in English. Students majoring or minoring in other subjects may also be considered for the award, provided that it meets the minimum requirements.

Awarded annually to the student who achieves the highest mark in 12 junior units of Jewish Civilisation, Thought and Culture, provided that the work is of sufficient merit. The scholarship is sponsored by the Mandelbaum House Trust in memory of Dr Ivan Cher, Honorary Fellow of the University and long-time supporter of tertiary Jewish studies.

The Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award is for an emerging NSW-based film creative whose work has the potential to change the world. It carries a cash prize of $7,000. The 2023 winner was Annie Zhang for her story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’. The story is based on unceded Wangal land and tells of a couple learning to live with ghosts in their new home. The runners-up were Madeleine Rebbechi for her story ‘A Map of Underneath’ and Sheila Ngoc Pham for ‘Whack-a-Mole’.

Presented by the Hillman Foundation, this monthly prize honors journalists “who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in the public interest and advance the causes of social and economic justice.” Past winners have included Jane Mayer for her investigation of the Bush Administration’s violations of domestic and international law; Bill Moyers and Kathleen Hughes for their Journal broadcast on ‘Buying the War’; and Spike Lee and Sam Pollard for their film ‘When the Levees Broke’.

This annual prize is given to the author of a published article in the field of Consumer Culture Theory and related theoretical areas. It is named in honour of one of the founders of this field. The winning article is published in the autumn edition of Overland, and two runners-up are also published. In the spirit of the award’s name, the writer also receives a cash prize of $500. SHOT encourages authors to publish articles in the field of CCT and related theoretical areas in an attempt to expand and disseminate this research. One honorable mention will also be awarded.