Sidney Prizes Most of the prizes we present at the University are based on academic achievement and do not require formal application – they are automatically presented to students who demonstrate exceptional performance across specific units or programs. They serve to recognize achievements while celebrating academic excellence – literary prizes typically require additional application forms as well.
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is given annually by the Society for History of Technology to recognize a book which makes a substantial contribution to knowledge about science, technology, or medicine in history. This prize is named in honour of one of history’s premier historians – Sydney Taylor himself was publisher of Journal of the History of Science – the pioneering journal dedicated to studying its history. Winners receive US$3,000 as well as a medal.
Established in 1946, the Hillman Foundation offers financial rewards to journalists who dedicate themselves to “deep storytelling and investigative reporting in service of the common good.” Led by Workers United/SEIU president-emeritus Bruce Raynor and including Danny Glover as its Board Chairman.
Each year, we recognize a graduate student for their excellence in engineering and commitment to high ideals with our Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Award. This prize is open to female graduating students of any UHI engineering program who demonstrate academic success, personal characteristics and contributions to student life/university life.
Sidney was born and raised in Liverpool, and worked as a Radio Mechanic on HMS Collingwood, a battleship of the Royal Navy. Later he underwent training at Pye Radio and Electronics Workshop in London as a Test Engineer for their new black-and-white television studio equipment before eventually becoming employed with Marconi to maintain Canadian Arctic Military listening stations.
He was also an accomplished artist and writer, publishing many short stories and poems in both English and German, in addition to several novels. Additionally, he was an enthusiastic sailor and explorer. Sidney enjoyed sailing the North Sea with his wife Dorothy whom he married in 1949. Both Sidney and Dorothy were committed to furthering women’s education and rights relating to family planning issues. They were founding members of the Feminist Alliance for Safer Families and passionate proponents of both feminism and humanism, actively engaged in peace activism, anti-racist protest, as well as peace education campaigns. Dorothy founded both the British Women’s Institute and Women’s Liberation Union before serving on their Boards as trustee and member respectively.