In memory of the generative influence which the late Sidney Cox exerted on hundreds of Dartmouth students both in and out of his classes, a group of his friends has undertaken to solicit funds with a view of establishing an annual prize for that piece of undergraduate writing which most nearly meets the high standards of originality and integrity which Professor Cox set both for himself and for his students. The committee in charge of the prize is composed of Robert Frost ’96, A. B. Guthrie and Budd Schulberg ’36 as honorary chairmen, and Ron Rash ’78 as active chairman.
Each year the Sydney Peace Foundation honours a nominee who has promoted “peace with justice and human rights.” This year’s winner was the anti-racist Black Lives Matter movement, which was founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi following George Zimmerman’s 2013 acquittal in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The other finalists were the US women’s rights activist Julian Burnside and the Irish author Noam Chomsky.
Since the founding of the College in 1596, alumni have made a huge impact on all aspects of Britain’s culture – in religion, politics and business, in literature and music, and in science and art. They have been soldiers, political cartoonists, alchemists and spies as well as scholars, writers, directors of film and opera, the 1928 Grand National winner and, so they say, Sherlock Holmes. They have also been journalists and media figures, philanthropists and fundraisers, a Premiership football club chairman and best-selling authors.
Besides the prestigious Sydney Prize, the society offers a number of other awards to its members. One of these is the Distinguished Scholar Award, which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated national distinction in scholarship and/or undergraduate teaching. The recipient of this award is honored at the society’s Triennial Council meeting. Nominations for this award are due a year and a half prior to the event.
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards are an important part of the Society’s recognition of excellence in Australia’s cultural life. The Awards are funded by a grant from the Sidney Myer Fund, which was established in 1984 to commemorate the death of Sir Sidney Myer and his generous contribution to Australia’s cultural life. The Judging Committee, consisting of Stephen Armstrong, Declan Greene, Helen Marcou AM, Patrick Nolan and Alex Sinclair, is chaired by Andrew Myer AM (Chairman, Sidney Myer Fund) who does not vote. The award is a combination of a monetary prize and a certificate of recognition. The prize money is provided by the Trustees of the Sidney Myer Fund. The certificate is awarded by the President of the Society, who makes a personal presentation to the winning artists. The prizes are open to all Australian residents who are current students at an Australian university. The judging panel is not bound to give any reason for its decision. The judging panel also reserves the right not to award any of the prizes.