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 2026 Croker Prize for Biography is now closed. The winner will be announced in the September 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. Entry fee payment. Full terms and conditions for the 2026 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 2026 was: The Relative I Wish I'd Met Click on the links below to read all 23 entries. 2601: Grand Pioneer – “Granny Eggert” 2602: The Names we Inherit 2603: Uncle Harold 2604: Frank Johnson’s Remarkable Bohemian Lifestyle 2605: My Irish Immigrant 2606: Walter Knight – The Master Sensationalist 2607: Scapegoat or Scoundrel: The Chaotic Life and Sad Demise of Francis Patrick Cranny 2608: Relative to the Truth 2609: Resilience was in her DNA 2610: The Indomitable Catherine Sinclair McKid – Beloved Matriarch 2611: Tough 2612: Fanny the Fearless First 2613: Life Fragments 2614: A Woman of Strength 2615: Searching for Thomas McGrath 2616: Speedway Champion: Harold “Tiger” Stevenson 2617: Robert Harvey and the Ballinakill Incident 2618: The Case of the Mysterious Yeoman 2619: William Wilson: Tall Tales and True Stories 2620: That Excellent Teacher: Mr J. O’Ryan 2621: Berta Jean Gibson: An Artistic Talent, Gone too Soon 2622: The Mistress and the Lady 2623: Always with YouUse the link below to download and read entries for the previous two years. Previous Themes and Winners2025 – 'My Relative's Journey' – Winner: - Helen Dennis - Leaving Home: Penelope Jenkin's Canadian Caper 2024 – '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 |