JCU Prizes Browse all prizes Sheila Haydon Prize

Sheila Haydon Prize

History of the prize

This prize was founded in 1994 with a capital donation from the Sheila Haydon Fund. Sheila Haydon initiated the subject "Effective Writing" in 1992. Sadly, she died in 1993. As a scientific writer and later educator, her professional interest was in the use of language to convey complex concepts to a non-specialist audience. The prize is awarded to the College of Arts, Society and Education student who has achieved the highest overall result in level 1 subject CU1010: Effective Writing.

Sheila was a trained scientist (BSc, Honours 1, in biochemistry from the ANU) and her father was for many years, Professor of Physics at UNE. She later undertook an MS in Science Communication from Boston University in the US.

She had a passion for translating complex scientific findings into language that a lay audience could readily understand - hence effective writing, although the concept applies much more widely than science alone. She was also a correspondent for McGraw-Hill in Australia.

Donor

Professor Don Close

Prize Information

Awarded to the College of Arts, Society and Education student who has achieved the highest overall result in level 1 subject CU1010: Effective Writing.

$200

2025 - Anya Lasso Younes

2024 - Aimee Dean

2023 - Jordanna Miller

2022 - Cassandra Moulton

2021 - Rajni Datt

2020 - Lilian Sidra

2019 - Julie-Marina George

2018 - Anne Roberts

2017 - Patrick Kennedy Clapp