The Sidney Prize and the Hillman and June Hartnett Prizes
The Sidney Prize is a monthly award for investigative journalism in the service of the common good. Nominations are due on the last day of each month, and can be made either for a work you yourself have published or for someone else’s work that has been published in that time. The winner is announced on the second Wednesday of each month. In addition to the prize money, winners receive a bottle of union-made wine and a certificate designed by New Yorker cartoonist Edward Sorel. The winning piece is also featured on the AJL website and, where appropriate, in its book reviews. Published books that have won the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award prior to publication can carry a “Sydney Taylor Seal” upon printing. (Order Seals here.) AJL is proud to have sponsored this award since 2024.
The Hillman Foundation is a left-of-center organization that annually awards monetary prizes for journalism and public service. It is named after Sidney Hillman, president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, a predecessor of Unite Here and Workers United, who became entangled in two labor disputes that impacted both the structure and his own standing within the labor community. The foundation honors journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in the service of the common good. It also supports writers and artists whose work has social impact.
Since 1950, the Hillman Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to fund the research of outstanding investigative journalists and the development of a new generation of investigative reporters. In addition to the Sidney Prizes, the foundation also awards annual Hillman prize grants for journalists who pursue projects that show how science and technology shape our lives.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a paper written while they were undergraduate students. The papers will be reviewed by scholars in the field. The two best papers will be chosen for publication in the Wittenberg East Asian Studies Journal. The first prize will be $2,000 and the second will be $1,000.
The June Hartnett Prize was established by Leonie Hayne in memory of her friend and former student, June Hartnett. It is awarded for proficiency in the study of Greek and Latin at intermediate level in the Department of Classics and Ancient History. The prize is open to all Honours students who have completed at least one of the following units: GRKA2600 Intermediate Greek 1, or GRKA2601 Intermediate Latin 1. The prize will be awarded on the recommendation of the Coordinator of the Department of Classics and Ancient History, to a student obtaining the highest mark in each of these units during the academic year for which the prize is offered.