Sidney prizes are prized awards given out annually to writers of long-form essays. At a time when online content often consists of 140-character snippets, it is refreshing to see thoughtful writing that takes its time constructing arguments and exploring concepts.

David Brooks of The New York Times recently unveiled his annual Sidney Awards list this morning in the paper, including one written by National Association for Scholars President Peter Wood which earned a Sidney in its category for beguiling imagery – winning him one.

The Hillman Foundation annually presents Sidney Prizes to journalists for outstanding investigative reporting and deep storytelling in the public interest. Unlike most journalism awards, however, these distinctions don’t recognize specific achievements; rather they seek to recognize “discernment of significant news stories, courage in investigating those stories and impact on social or economic justice”.

This year’s prize went to three writers for their coverage of Afghanistan’s opium crisis – Ali Moorhead and Jeremy Stahl from The Wall Street Journal, Mary Beth Quirk from Vanity Fair and James Risen and Glenn Greenwald from The Washington Post.

This year’s selection panel honored an essay written by Michael Lewis for Portfolio magazine about people who “can see reality clearly when everyone else is lost in a fog of delusion”. The piece profiles Meredith Whitney and Steve Eisman who provided early warning that Citigroup would encounter serious trouble.

The 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners have been revealed. To discover each title further, visit AJL’s Sydney Taylor Shmooze blog; to purchase gold or silver seals to affix to copies of winning titles, go to AJL’s shop page;

Winners will receive a first prize of $5,0000 and publication in Overland magazine; two runners-up will each be awarded $2500 prize and publication. Read an interview with the committee chair as well as photos of winners on AJL’s blog.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors Dartmouth professor Sydney Taylor, an influential teacher of American literature who played an essential role in developing American fiction and in particular in teaching novel writing. Established by his former students and friends, it is administered by a committee led by Robert Frost ’96 and A. B. Guthrie as honorary co-chairs while Budd Schulberg ’37 acts as active chairman. Donations may be sent directly to 1 Occom Ridge Hanover New Hampshire 03560 where funds will be held by Dartmouth College Trust Company for safekeeping.