The Sidney Prize is a monthly award given by the Hillman Foundation to outstanding socially-conscious journalism that fosters social and economic justice. The Hillman Foundation was created in 1946 to honor the vision of Sidney Hillman, president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America labor union (a predecessor of both Unite Here and Workers United/SEIU). The foundation has worked for more than six decades to illuminate critical issues for working people in this country and seek equitable solutions to help them.
The prize is awarded to stories that are investigative in nature, address social and economic injustice and have the potential for meaningful change in the lives of the people involved. The judges look for discernment of a significant news story, resourcefulness and courage in reporting the story and skill in relating it to the audience. The prize also rewards journalistic work that is both ethical and fair in its treatment of the subjects and characters it addresses.
This year the prize went to Maya Srikrishnan and Ashley Clarke for their piece in The New York Times, “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at State Income Tax Collections.” Srikrishnan and Clarke reported extensively on how states have been collecting late state income taxes from low-income taxpayers, often with stalled and outrageously high fees. They did this by interviewing low-income taxpayer clinic attorneys, surveying every state with an income tax and using data to uncover the issue.
In addition to the monetary prize, winners are honored at the Phi Beta Kappa National Convention and receive a certificate designed by New Yorker cartoonist Edward Sorel. The winning piece of journalism is also published in Phi Beta Kappa Magazine and featured on our website.
To be considered for the prize, writers must submit a story through our submission system by December 31st. Submissions should be in English, no more than 3000 words in length and not under consideration for publication elsewhere, including online. Interested writers can take out a new subscription to Overland for $62 that includes discounted entry into the competition and four print issues of the magazine, access to our daily online journal, and invitations to subscriber events, opportunities and giveaways.
To find out more about the prize, click here. For a full list of 2024 winner and honorable mention books, click here. To order gold and silver Sydney Taylor Book Award seals for your books, click here. To see all of the Sydney Taylor Book Award winners and honorable mentions, click here. To purchase a poster featuring the Sydney Taylor Book Award winners, click here. You can also view a complete list of all of the previous winners in our gallery here.