Annual Croker Prize for Biography |
The Croker Prize for Biography is a great way to hone your writing skills and share your family history storiesThe 2025 Croker Prize for Biography is now open with the theme of: My Relative's Journey Entries close midnight 31 May 2025. The Croker Prize for Biography is a wonderful opportunity for you to hone your writing skills, share your family history stories and demonstrate your research. It also enables the Society to showcase your work to assist other members with their research and writing. Entrants are to write a 800-1000 word biography on an individual, based on original research, which must be related to the selected annual theme. Entries are judged according to the following criteria: · Entries must relate to the identified theme and be about the entrant's relative. · Entries should be well written, informative and entertaining. · Entries must be logically organised with an introduction and conclusion, using good grammar and spelling. · Entries should demonstrate good genealogical research skills, as evidenced by referenced sources. For entry form, click here. Full terms and conditions for the 2025 prize are available here. Please refer to our Referencing Guidelines for more detailed information. ABOUT The annual Croker Prize for Biography was established in 2014 in memory of Colin and Loas Croker, who thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Society to research their family trees. Through this annual prize, we acknowledge the very generous benefaction they left to us after their deaths. A different theme for the competition is set each year, which is announced in the Autumn/March journal and on the website. Members can submit one entry each on that theme, with the winner chosen by a committee of former recipients and Society representatives. A cash prize of $1000 is awarded to the winner and their entry is published in the Spring/September issue of Descent. All entries remain on the website for the current and previous year and are then transferred to the Society's digital archive system, where they will be found through the MIDAS catalogue. The theme for 2024 was: A Special Family Connection Click on the links below to read all 32 entries. 2401: Sunshine by Sharon Watson 2402: Beryl Corsan by Rita McCaughey 2403: Hidden in Plain Sight by Wendy Harper 2404: Lavinia's Legacy by Mandy Gwan 2405: John Lees by Bob Wright 2406: Charles Stokes' Powerful Family Connection by Louise Millar-Hoffmann 2407: In Uncle Harry's Footsteps - Bullecourt Revisited by Judith Matheson 2408: Strong Bones: Sarah Fardell by Lisa Apfel 2409: Tremendous Tales and Tropical Tribulations by Jo Callaghan 2410: Clara's Story by Maxine Elder – Winner 2024 2411: My Great Grandfather Pyrland Justinian Payne by Stephen Payne 2412: From Dampseyers to Duntroon by Bronwyn Paschalidis 2413: The (Button) Jar by Michelle Goldsmith 2414: Seeking Advice from my Great Grandfather by Mark Hipgrave 2415: Plumb Loco about Josephine by Roz Gatwood 2416: An Unassuming Man by Rosyln Airs 2417: Move Over Ersatz Forbears by Anne McEncroe 2418: (Francis) Augustus William Wedge by Chris Bedford 2419: Words Unspoken – The Story of Clara Jane South by Diane Palos 2420: The Jury Man by Catherine Philps 2421: A Special Family Connection via Emma (nee Taylor) Shiels Pendergast by Carolyn Ball 2422: A Life of Service by Jim Fleming 2423: The Convict Behind the Chains by Brian Ahearn 2424: A Celestial Connection by Sue Stenning 2425: The Flemings - A Special Family Connection by Brian Wood 2426: Chancing upon the “well-known brewer of Mitcham” by Dawn Jennifer 2427: An inspirational, indomitable lady by Narelle Borrott 2428: Our Little Darling Jack by Glenda Collins 2429: Sir Robert, King George…and Hugo Fitch by Kerry Close 2430: Wind, Water and Birds by Mary Collings 2431: A Caribbean Methodist by Peter Day 2432: The Honest Yorkshire Lawyer by Rhonda Kroehnert 2433: Randwick Rumblings by John Davenport 2434: 200 Years of Connecting by Joan Lewis 2435: A Saintly Family Connection by Jane Wood 2436: Annie and the Crochet Hooks by Sue Bulbrook 2437: Biography of Charles Muirhead Inglis by Karen Young 2438: When Roses are Threads by Bev Collis-Bird 2439: Connecting with Family across the generations and Beyond by Jennifer Parry 2440: The Ribbonman by Claire Moffat 2441: Eileen Temple: A Musical Legacy for Picton by Karen Lonsdale 2442: Beware of the Half Truth: You May Have Gotten Hold of the Wrong Half by Cheryl Ianson Use the link below to download and read entries for the previous two years. Previous Themes and Winners2024 – 'A Special Family Connection' – Winner: - Maxine Elder - Clara's Story 2023 – 'A Family Myth' – Winner: Michael Considine - Reds Under the Bed 2022 – 'Where Did I Come From?' – Winner: Bob Wright - Collits Inn 2021 – 'My Most Unexpected Research Finding' – Winner: Michele Bomford - Conduct Unbecoming: Matthew Burnside and the 'Providence' Scandal, 1826 2020 – ‘My Most Elusive Ancestor' – Winner: Bill Dudley - The Sad Tale of Lieutenant Philip Connor 2019 – ‘A Woman of influence’ – Winner: Wendy Pryor - The Indomitable Miss Jane Skillicorn 2018 - 'A life-changing experience' – Winner: Patricia Smith - A double-edged sword 2017 - 'A Tough Life' - Winner: Kim Hatherly – A Boy from Shoreditch 2016 - 'The Ancestor I most admire is ... ' – Winner: Christine Collins - Dan's Legacy 2015 - 'My immigrant's story' - Winner: Bob Wright – Granny Greenhalgh (2015 Board Prize & 2015 Members' Choice Prize) 2014 - 'The blackest sheep in my family's flock was ...' – Winners: Elizabeth Adams - Sailing Uncharted Waters - the wreck of Master Mariner William Whitfield (2014 Board Prize) & Bob Wright - Old Brine: Terror of the Richmond River (Brian O'Neil) (2014 Members' Choice Prize) Image: Narrabeen Newport bus 1919, SAG Manuscript and Image Collection, Item 6/1338 |