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 2024 Croker Prize for Biography is now closed. The winner will be announced in the September issue of Descent. 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 2024 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 is: A Special Family Connection Click on the links below to read all 32 entries. 2401: Sunshine 2402: Beryl Corsan 2403: Hidden in Plain Sight 2404: Lavinia's Legacy 2405: John Lees 2406: Charles Stokes' Powerful Family Connection 2407: In Uncle Harry's Footsteps - Bullecourt Revisited 2408: Strong Bones: Sarah Fardell 2409: Tremendous Tales and Tropical Tribulations 2410: Clara's Story 2411: My Great Grandfather Pyrland Justinian Payne 2412: From Dampsagens to Duntroon 2413: The (Button) Jar 2414: Seeking Advice from my Great Grandfather 2415: Plumb Loco about Josephine 2416: An Unassuming Man 2417: Move Over Ersatz Forbears 2418: (Francis) Augustus William Wedge 2419: Words Unspoken – The Story of Clara Jane South 2420: The Jury Man 2421: A Special Family Connection via Emma (nee Taylor) Shiels Pendergast 2422: A Life of Service 2423: The Convict Behind the Chains 2424: A Celestial Connection 2425: The Flemings - A Special Family Connection 2426: Chancing upon the “well-known brewer of Mitcham” 2427: An inspirational, indomitable lady 2428: Our Little Darling Jack 2429: Sir Robert, King George…and Hugo Fitch 2430: Wind, Water and Birds 2431: A Caribbean Methodist 2432: The Honest Yorkshire Lawyer 2433: Randwick Rumblings 2434: 200 Years of Connecting 2435: A Saintly Family Connection 2436: Annie and the Crochet Hooks 2437: Biography of Charles Muirhead Inglis 2438: When Roses are Threads 2439: Connecting with Family across the generations and Beyond 2440: The Ribbonman 2441: Eileen Temple: A Musical Legacy for Picton 2442: Beware of the Half Truth: You May Have Gotten Hold of the Wrong Half Use the link below to download and read entries for the previous two years. Previous Themes and Winners2023 – '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's Choice Prize) Image: Narrabeen Newport bus 1919, SAG Manuscript and Image Collection, Item 6/1338 |