Sidney prize is an award that recognizes outstanding accomplishments in a particular field. It has been awarded to painters, authors, scientists and businesspeople. The prize is named after the city of Sydney, Australia. It is bestowed for work that contributes to the nation’s cultural, political, religious and economic welfare. The prize was created in 1921.
Sid Altman, co-recipient with Tom Cech of the 1989 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, was one of the veritable architects of modern RNA research. He was a tenacious and single-minded experimentalist who drilled deep into Mother Nature’s secrets until they finally yielded the truth.
At the same time, Sid was a warm and humane person who sought out collaborations with people of diverse backgrounds and interests. He embraced the notion that science could be a unifying force. He sought to connect physics to art and the media, and was keenly interested in exploring the humanistic dimension of the discipline.
During his undergraduate years, Sid made more than a few serendipitous choices that endowed him with expertise that paid dividends later. For example, his chance meeting with George Gamow set him on a path that led him to Lerman and a lifelong interest in acridines and acridine nucleotides, which indirectly steered him toward RNase P and RNA catalysis.
Sid was a devoted son, brother and husband who treasured his children. He loved reading and was a fervent advocate for the importance of literacy. Sid had a gift for communicating complex ideas in an accessible way, and often gave talks that were both informative and entertaining.
His passion for promoting the importance of science in society was evident in his dedication to education and community. He served as a trustee for the American Museum of Natural History and was a founding member of the Association of Science Publishers. He was also a fellow of the American Physical Society.
In the spirit of this commitment to fostering an understanding of science in our society, Overland and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation have joined together to launch this year’s Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. This annual award will reward a winning story with $5000, and two runners-up each with $750. The judges will shortlist eight entries and publish the winner in Overland’s autumn 2024 issue. We hope this award will inspire young writers to explore the science and the world around them, and to write with integrity, wit and compassion. We are grateful to the Sidney family for their generous support. This year, we received over 200 submissions from across the globe. We would like to thank all of the entrants for their inspiring stories, and we congratulate our winners!