The Sidney Prize honors some of the best magazine essays of the year. These articles take us beyond our daily concerns, encouraging us to step back and look at the bigger picture. This year, for example, Walter Russell Mead’s essay in The American Interest won a Sidney, highlighting the conflict between two liberalisms—the small-state Manchester liberalism of 1890 and the big organization managerial state liberalism of today.
The Prize, named for Professor Sir Philip Sidney Ardern of Auckland University College and augmented by subscriptions from his friends and former students, was established in 1967. Its purpose is principally to encourage the study of Old and Middle English, although a wide range of literary topics will be considered. The Selection Committee consists of Mercer faculty members and eminent scholars of the South. The Prize is presented annually in Macon.
MACON, GA – Mercer University will award Wendell Berry the 2016 Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Literature. The prize, named after 19th century author Sidney Lanier, recognizes significant career contributions to writing in drama, fiction or poetry. It is sponsored by the Center for Southern Studies at Mercer and administered by a selection committee composed of Mercer faculty and community members. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in April.
ABOUT THE SIDNEY PRIZE
The Sidney Prize is given monthly for outstanding work in journalism. To be eligible, a story must have appeared in print during the previous month. Submissions are due on the last day of each month. Exceptions are made for articles that are posted online, such as on websites like ProPublica and ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
A Sidney is also given monthly for an article that exposes social injustices. To be eligible, the story must have been published in a newspaper, magazine or website that is widely read and has a substantial following on social media. Submissions are due on the first Tuesday of each month. Exceptions are made when the deadline falls on a holiday or other special event.
The Irving Oberman Memorial Awards are made possible by a bequest from Isabel B. Oberman in memory of her husband, Irving Oberman, A.B. 1917. The Law School awards the prizes to recognize outstanding legal writing by HLS students on one of seven current legal subjects: Bankruptcy; Constitutional Law and Equal Justice Under Law; Family Law; Environmental Law; Intellectual Property, Law and Technology; and Legal History. For more information, see the Oberman Awards page and prize submission instructions.