The Sidney Prize is an annual award presented to the author of the best undergraduate essay written in English. Judged on originality and integrity, essays must be the author’s original work based on research that can only come from personal sources; four pages long minimum; written using standard academic style free from ideological bias; addressing an issue of general interest with sufficient depth that it supports a substantial argument – author need not necessarily be an expert on topic addressed – they should be accessible to readers who may come from varying fields or even non-specialists as readers can appreciate its message easily enough!

Submitting an essay timely (deadline: May 15) and in its entirety is required; incomplete submissions will not be considered. Please title and label each page appropriately to facilitate assessment and screening processes. Essays will be evaluated by a committee of faculty members and a student representative from the English Department. The winner will be announced at the Creative Writing Awards Ceremony held annually in May. The Sidney Cox Memorial Prize is underwritten by his family. Sidney Cox was an active member of Phi Beta Kappa and professor at University of Virginia. The prize honors a teacher of writing who inspired students, and recognizes work which most closely meets his high standards of originality and integrity exhibited in Indirections for Those Who Want to Write. Any undergraduate essay is eligible, not just those written during English courses.

Often the questions addressed by the Sidney Prize are of profound public interest. For instance, this year a number of winning essays explored the intersection between science and humanities; intellectual heavyweights Steven Pinker and Leon Wieseltier squared off against each other in The New Republic over what role science should have in modern thought–Pinker in particular argued that contrary to what humanities professors may say, science provides insight into almost everything.

The Sidney Prize is one of many Hillman Prizes given annually by the Hillman Foundation, and was announced at a gala held in New York City this Tuesday evening. Jonathan Blitzer received book journalism prizes for Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America and the Making of a Crisis by Penguin Press while Jennifer Gollan and Susie Neilson of San Francisco Chronicle won newspaper journalism honors with Fast and Fatal: How We Got Here published by San Francisco Chronicle California. Both prizes will continue. Sidney Prize and SEIU Hillman Prize awards for journalism that advances common good initiatives will continue.