Throughout history, Sidney Prize has given millions of dollars in grants to support scholars, students, and the arts. The Foundation has also made many large gifts in support of medical research, including at the Hillman Health Centers in New York and Philadelphia. In addition, since 1950, the Hillman Foundation has awarded monthly Sidney prizes to journalists and writers who pursue investigative reporting in service of the common good.

These prize-winning books cover a variety of topics, from the enduring effects of the Civil War to the complexities of forensic science and the origins of criminal law. Some have received national awards; others are recognized by Phi Beta Kappa. Several have won the Sydney Taylor Book Award, named in memory of All-of-a-Kind Family author Sydney Taylor. Others are recommended by the Association of Jewish Libraries. For details on how to purchase Sydney Taylor Book Award seals for your library, please contact the chair of the Committee.

The 2024 Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Prize is awarded to a female graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, personal attributes or a contribution to society/student life in the field of engineering. The prize is a financial reward of up to PS500 to help support the next generation of female engineering students.

2024 Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Prize

The Sidney Black Memorial Scholarship was established in honor of Professor Sir Stanley Black, a world-renowned scientist who served as Chairman of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering from 1989 to 1994. The aim of the Scholarship is to encourage and support women in their pursuit of a career in engineering, enabling them to follow in the footsteps of some of Scotland’s most successful women engineers.

Overland’s Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is open to original short fiction up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion of travel. The judges (Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh) chose a shortlist of eight from more than 500 entries and have announced the winner. The judges have also chosen two runners-up.

In the spirit of its founder, the Sidney Foundation is dedicated to illuminating the great issues of our time: the search for lasting peace, the need for better housing, health care, employment security and education for all, the preservation of civil liberties, democracy and the battle against discrimination on the basis of race or religion. In addition to the U.S Hillman Prizes, the Foundation continues to offer a Canadian Hillman prize as well.

2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize

Congratulations to Annie Zhang for her story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’, which won this year’s prize. The judges loved this story’s sense of place, its characters and the way it plays with genre and form. It’s an amazing achievement for a first-time writer to have her work selected from such a strong longlist. The judges would like to thank the writers on the shortlist for their outstanding work, and for respecting the ethos of Overland.