Many universities provide a variety of prizes to recognize student academic excellence. These awards are awarded in a variety of disciplines, and they may be given to students at the undergraduate or graduate level. Some require application, while others are listed on your transcript as a result of meeting certain criteria. The Sydney Prize is one example of a university-wide award that you can apply for. This award is given to undergraduate writing that meets Sir Sidney Cox’s high standards for originality and integrity. The committee that judges this work is based in Hanover, but it is open to any student who majors or minors in English.

The first Sydney Prize was awarded in 1939 to playwright Robert Ardrey for his play Thunder Rock, which floundered on Broadway but went on to be a success. The prize was endowed by the New York-based Sidney Hillman Foundation, which continues to honor investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the public good.

Since its inception, the prize has rewarded a variety of works, from novels to journalism. The winner receives $40,000 and the two runners-up each get $7,500. The prize is judged by a panel of writers and literary figures.

This year’s prize was awarded to journalist Maya Srikrishnan for her investigation into state income tax collection policies. Her story documented the lengths to which some states go to keep their citizens from catching up on back taxes, from stalling to quoting outrageous fees. It took more than a year for Srikrishnan and her team to uncover these practices, interviewing low-income taxpayer clinic attorneys across the country and surveying every state that collects an income tax. Their work was published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Grist.

In addition to the Sidney Prize, the Hillman Foundation also sponsors the prestigious Eureka prizes. These are Australia’s ‘Science Oscars,’ and the University of Sydney is home to several winners. These include Horizon Fellow Mengyu Li and Professor Kate Jolliffe, who are part of a team working to build the world’s largest targeted melanoma screening program. The team uses 3D imaging technology to improve early melanoma detection and identify the best candidates for preventive surgery.

The project is part of the Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis, which is a collaboration between the University of Sydney and the Cancer Institute of NSW. The research will help doctors spot melanoma early and potentially save lives, and it is being rolled out nationally in Australia and internationally. It’s one of a number of prestigious research projects that the University of Sydney is involved in, including the 2024 Eureka Prizes for Science, which are dubbed Australia’s “Science Oscars.” These prizes celebrate excellence in scientific research and leadership, as well as school science engagement. The University of Sydney’s research has won four Eureka prizes this year.