Every year, New York Times columnist David Brooks picks out the best long-form essays he’s seen in magazines, and those selections become the Sidney Prize winners. This year, a number of the winning essays—including Hilton Als’s piece on the New Yorker’s editorial board and Ed Yong’s look at pharmacology—examined the interface between science and the humanities.
The 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize was won by Annie Zhang for ‘Who Rattles the Night?’, a ghostly tale of a couple learning to live with their home on unceded Wangal land. Two runners-up, Madeleine Rebbechi for ‘A Map of Underneath’ and Sheila Ngoc Pham for ‘Whack-a-Mole’, were also named. The prize was judged by Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh. The winner will be published by Overland, with the two runners-up to have their stories published online.
Awarded in honor of labor activist Sidney Hillman, the Hillman Magazine Prize honors reporting that illuminates some of the great issues of our times: search for a basis for lasting peace; economic justice and the need for better housing, health care and employment; civil liberties and democracy; and the battle against discrimination of all kinds. Past winners have included Murray Kempton for his articles on southern labor, Edward R. Murrow’s critical reports on Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare, and Julie K. Brown’s work on the sex crimes and sweetheart deals of Jeffrey Epstein.
This year’s finalists include the journalists who broke the story of Chinese interference in Canada’s politics (Globe and Mail) and the reporters who documented a company with deplorable working conditions—including blocked fire exits, vermin infestation and faulty fire extinguishers—and management that rules by threats and intimidation (Bloomberg Businessweek).
The 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award was awarded to Philippe Sands KC for his exemplary professional career representing people without money or power to secure basic civil rights and address the legacies of colonialism. He has been a tireless advocate in the finest tradition of public interest law, and his dedication to fighting for equality and environmental protection is unparalleled.