Category Archives: Writing Your Way to the Past

As I suspected, 2021 was much like 2020, and I wasn’t able to get all of my 2021 goals accomplished. Let see how I did. I wanted to attend SLIG and IGHR, and CHECK, I did both. I took Judy Russell’s Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy at SLIG (and LOVED it!) and I took Michael Strauss’s Military Records I: The Colonial Era to the Vietnam War (which was GREAT!). I also attended RootsTech 2021, NGS 2021, and the 2021 International German Genealogy Conference.

Don’t forget, entries for this year’s National Genealogical Society’s Family History Writing Contest are due by December 15, 2021.  This annual contest is open to NGS members. The winner receives a trip to the next NGS conference and their manuscript may be published in the NGS Quarterly. This competition is a BIG DEAL so don’t delay! All the details can be found here. Need some convincing to write about your genealogy research?  See my post 4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing.

The Connecticut Society of Genealogists is now accepting entries for both the Essay Contest and Literary Awards. Submission deadline for both is July 15, 2021. Winners for both will be notified by September 1, 2021.  Details for each are below.

The Western Michigan Genealogical Society 2021 Writing Contest kicked off on January 1, 2020 and will run through March 31, 2021. You do not have to be a WMGS member to enter and there is no entry fee. Entries must be 1,500 to 3,000 words, unpublished, and relate to the theme “Scandals in the Family.” Winning entries will be published in Michigana.  Winning authors will be awarded a monetary prize as follows:

Don’t forget, entries for this year’s National Genealogical Society’s Family History Writing Contest are due by December 15, 2020.  This annual contest is open to NGS members. The winner receives a trip to the next NGS conference and their manuscript may be published in the NGS Quarterly. This competition is a BIG DEAL so don’t delay! All the details can be found here. Need some convincing to write about your genealogy research?  See my post 4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing.

Entries for the 2020 Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) Writing Contest are due by August 3, 2020. Anyone may enter, but if you are not an MSOG member, there is a $10 submission fee. Entries must be original content (i.e., not previously published) and relate to Massachusetts genealogy or family history. Entries may be “a three-generation family study, tell an interesting story about parents and children, or provide a brief solution to a genealogical problem.” Sources must be cited. Winners will be announced at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Complete details […]

The Western Michigan Genealogical Society 2020 Writing Contest kicked off on January 1, 2020 and will run through March 31, 2020. You do not have to be a WMGS member to enter and there is no entry fee. Entries must be 1,500 to 3,000 words, unpublished, and relate to the theme “A Memorable Trip or Journey.”

  Entries for the 2019 & 2020 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) Excellence-in-Writing Competition are now being accepted. Submissions are due by March 15, 2020. Both ISFHWE members and non-members are allowed to enter the competition. A discounted entry fee is available to members.  Here are the categories for this year: