The Sidney prize is a monthly journalism award for writing that exposes social injustice and the need for public policy change. It’s named for the founder of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America labor union—a precursor to Unite Here and Workers United—and is supported by the left-of-center Sidney Hillman Foundation. The foundation’s board of directors includes Workers United president emeritus Bruce Raynor.

Winners are selected by a panel of judges from a pool of nominated stories. The winning piece receives a cash prize and is published in Overland. The runner-up receives a prize of $750 and is also published in Overland. All entries will be considered for the Hillman Prize as well, and submissions are open to both U.S and Canadian journalists.

In this year’s 2024 competition, the judges chose a story about a family’s struggles to make ends meet and stay together. Reporters Maya Srikrishnan and Ashley Clarke worked for more than a year on this story, which exposed how states fail to collect income taxes from low-income residents. They did so by investigating the law and contacting low-income taxpayer clinics nationwide.

The judges, Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh, picked a shortlist of eight pieces, which can be read in the autumn issue of Overland. They chose a winning piece and two runners-up, and would like to thank all the entries for their hard work.

If your entry takes up the voice or experience of a marginalised or vulnerable community, do you identify yourself as being part of that community or experience? (For example, if your story is written in the voice of an Aboriginal person, are you an Aboriginal?)

We will publish this information on our website. It is not a requirement to enter, but it helps us ensure we are assessing your work fairly and that we aren’t excluding anyone on the basis of identity or experience.

There is a $12 entry fee for Overland subscribers and a $20 entry fee for non-subscribers. Subscribers get discounted entry and a discount subscription to Overland, which includes four print issues each year, access to the daily online magazine, and invitations to subscriber events, opportunities and giveaways. For more details and how to enter, see our full prize rules and regulations.