Dallas Genealogical Society Announces Winners of 2012 Writing Contest

A few days ago, the Dallas Genealogical Society announced the winners of the 2012 Writing Contest that was held earlier this year.  Below is the press release that was issued. 

As soon as I get the details for the 2013 contest, I will post them on this blog.

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Dallas, TX—December 17, 2012—The Dallas Genealogical Society presented the winners of their 2012 Writing Contest with certificates of recognition and prize checks at their Annual Awards Luncheon on December 8, 2012.  Among the judges reviewing the contest entries was J. Mark Lowe, a professional genealogist.

The winners are:

First Place – $500

“Francis A. Claridge (1824-1887)” by Karen Claridge Walker (DGS member)

Karen is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She worked two years in the Tulsa City/County Library Genealogy Center; and is a serious amateur genealogist.  The article is about Karen’s paternal great-great-grandfather, to whom she said “she is grateful for having such an interesting life about which to write.”

Second Place – $300

“Bailing, Bigamy, and Brother Love: the Family of Henry Parker and Nancy Black” by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG^SM

Debbie Parker Wayne is a full-time genealogist experienced using laws and DNA analysis, as well as more traditional techniques, for genealogical research. Debbie is a Trustee for the BCG Education Fund, a board member and Advocacy Chair of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), president of the Lone Star Chapter of APG, and Texas State Genealogical Society’s DNA Project Director. She is part of the core staff at Angelina College Genealogy Conference and was the featured speaker on DNA at the Texas General Land Office’s 2011 Save Texas History Symposium.  Her website is at http://debbiewayne.com.

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Sarah Luse Larimer (1836-1913): Indian Captive, Photographer, and Business Woman” by Loretta Luce Evans, AG^®

Loretta Evans, AG^® , is a freelance writer and lecturer with over 30 years of genealogical experience. Accredited in Midwestern United States research, she is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research in Washington, DC, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Her writings have appeared in a number of magazines, including Crossroads, Ancestry, Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Heritage Quest, the Genealogical Journal, and Ohio Records and Pioneer Families. Loretta has served as a Commissioner and as Public Relations Committee Chairman for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Loretta recently spent almost two years as a volunteer for FamilySearch in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Chronology of Land Lot 128, District 20, Baldwin (Morgan) County, Georgia And How It Led to Polly Ware’s Maiden Name” by Barbara A. Ware (DGS Member and IT Administrator)

Barbara A. Ware is a third generation Texan.  She has been an active genealogist for 20 years, a member of the Dallas Genealogical Society board several times, and has worked on a number of transcription projects to make Dallas county records available.  Her family research activities have taken her to most of the Southern states, England and Italy.

Entries Due 12/31 for 2012 GENEii Family History Writing Contest

Just a reminder that submissions for the 13th Annual Southern California Genealogical Society GENEii^SM Family History Writing Contest are due by December 31, 2012.  You do not have to be a member of SCGS to enter, nor does your submission have to relate to California.  Entries must be family or local history articles, which may or may not have been previously published.  The length of the article will determine the category it fits in: 

Category 1 1,000-2,000 words	Category 2 Less than 1,000 words
Prizes 1st Place - $200 2nd Place - $100 3rd Place - $50	Prizes 1st Place - $100 2nd Place - $50 3rd Place - $25

Winners will be notified by May 1, 2013.  Winning entries may be published in SCGS’s quarterly, their website, or an anthology of winners.

For complete rules and how to enter, visit http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/geneii/overview.html.

Good luck!

Changes for the ISFHWE Writing Competition in 2013

I took a few minutes today to review the details of the 2013 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Competition.  Right off the bat I noticed a few changes that I think people will be interested in learning about.

• The word limit for Category I “Columns” has been increased to 2,000 (was previously 1,000).
  
• The “rules” for Category II “Articles” now specify that submissions from blogs are acceptable (this was previously “implied” as a website).
  
• Category III, which was previously “Genealogy Research Story,” has been replaced by “Genealogy Newsletters.”  This is for society or family association newsletters.
  
• Category IV has been renamed to “Unpublished Authors,” and the word limit has been changed to between 500 and 2,000 (1,000 was previously the max).

Submissions for the writing competition will be accepted starting January 1, 2013, with a deadline of June 15, 2013.  Both ISFHWE members and non-members are allowed to enter the competition.

Complete details, including rules, judging criteria, entry fees, and the entry form, can be found here (will open a PDF file).

New Kindle eBook On Family History

My good friend Carol sent me an email this morning to let me know about a new Kindle eBook on family history that is currently FREE on Amazon (regular price is $1.29).  The book is Putting Flesh on the Bones: Bringing Your Ancestors to Life, by Mark W. Swarthout.

I have not read the book yet, so I can’t offer a review, but hey, it’s free (for now, and inexpensive at it’s regular price of $1.29), so why not take a chance.  The Amazon description reads:

How do you make the hundreds of dates and places in your family tree come alive?

The purpose of this article is to spark your interest in finding out the things that will make your ancestors become real people in your mind. It will provide thought starters and ideas to help in tracking down the information that can convert those names and dates on the genealogy chart into a real flesh and blood person, someone you can picture in your mind.

Have you read it?  If so, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it.

2012 Root Cellar Family History Writing Contest

Submissions are due October 1, 2012 for the Root Cellar Family History Writing Contest sponsored by the Sacramento Genealogical Society (SGS).  You do not need to be a member of the society and entries do not have to related to Sacramento or California.  According to the rules:

“The subject matter of the entries is to be family history or local-history stories, memoirs, or character sketches. Entries should be between 500 and 2,000 words in length. How-to articles or articles about the research process would not be acceptable for this contest.”

Winners will receive an assortment of prizes.  First place prizes include a six-month Ancestry.com membership, a copy of Family Tree Maker 2012, and a SGS membership.  Visit their website for complete rules and submission guidelines.

Need some convincing to write about your genealogy research?  See my post 4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing.