The Sidney Prize is awarded annually to the best undergraduate paper whose research includes beguiling imagery. The winner receives a prize of $100 and a publication in The Wittenberg East Asian Studies Journal. The competition is open to all undergraduate students. Students interested in applying for the prize should submit a paper of between 10 and 30 pages double spaced. They must also include a letter from their professor or advisor confirming that the work was written while they were an undergraduate student.
A merry romp through two new years in one Jewish family, as Rosh Hashanah and the Lunar New Year are celebrated with warm illustrations that honor the paper cutting traditions of both holidays. Named in memory of All-of-a-Kind Family author Sydney Taylor, this award was established to encourage titles for children that exemplify high literary standards and authentically portray the Jewish experience.
An in-depth look at the plight of low-income taxpayers in every state with an income tax, this year’s Sydney Prize-winning article took more than a year to research and write. Reporters Maya Srikrishnan and Ashley Clarke delved into state laws, talked to low-income taxpayer clinic attorneys and surveyed states on their collections policies and assistance in hardship cases. They did so despite the frustrations of state officials who stalled and quoted outrageously high fees when trying to get data.
In the year of the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I, a new book explores the role that women played in the battle against the Austro-Hungarian Empire and their struggle for civil liberties and democracy in post-war Austria. Awarded the prestigious 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries, an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), this work illuminates some of the great issues of our time: the search for a basis for lasting peace, the need for better housing, health care and employment security, and the fight to protect civil liberties and democracy for all.
Mercer University’s 2014 Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Literature was awarded to fiction writer Elizabeth Spencer. Spencer was born in Macon, Georgia and has won several awards over the course of her career. She is a five-time O Henry Award recipient and has published more than 40 books. Spencer has taught at Mercer for more than 20 years, including serving as a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing. She has also served as a consultant for many literary agencies and universities across the country. In addition to her acclaimed works of fiction, Spencer has edited two anthologies of Southern literature and is a contributing editor for The New York Times. She lives in Macon with her husband and three children.