Ohio Genealogical Society Writing Competition
1 January – 1 March 2014
OGS is sponsoring its genealogical writing contest to reward amateur and professional genealogical authorship and to fill the pages of its renowned journals with quality articles. All entries fitting the criteria will be considered for publication in Ohio Genealogy News (OGN) or the Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly (OGSQ).
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
- $50 Grand Prize for highest scoring article (in either category) – one prize given
- $25 Prize for next highest scoring article in each category – two prizes given
- $15 Prize for next highest scoring article in each category – two prizes given
- Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterlyarticles cover Ohio history and genealogy, Ohio records groups, Ohio families, and Ohioans who left the state to settle elsewhere. The historical time period covers pre-statehood to the 1940 census. Article length may vary from 750 words to 5000 words (3-10 single-spaced pages). Images are requested when available. Suggested article types might include:
- Family histories and genealogies of those who passed through Ohio or who came to help settle the state.
- Transcriptions, abstracts or indexes of record groups, especially those that are not yet digitized.
- Historical journals, sets of letters or hand-written histories, transcribed with added material on the author of these item types.
- Military history dealing with Ohio people and units, military record groups, and the anniversaries of the War of 1812 and the American Civil War.
- Ethnic ancestry or community settlements in Ohio.
- Individuals, families or record groups that relate to the four OGS lineage society eras.
- First Families of Ohio (before the end of 1820)
- Settlers and Builders of Ohio (1821-1860)
- Century Families of Ohio (1861- 100 year ago)
- Society of Civil War Families of Ohio (Ohioans who served in the Civil War in some capacity)
- Ohio Genealogy News welcomes articles on newsworthy and human interest topics in the genealogy world. Article length may vary from 750 words to 2500 words (2-5 single-spaced pages). Images are requested when available. Suggested article types might include:
- Feature Articles. Topics may have an anniversary or seasonal slant; describe newly-available record sets (in archives or on-line); or introduce the genealogy collections of Ohio repositories.
- Methodology (how-two) articles are welcome for both individual skill-building and chapter growth.
- Technology-related methodology articles are particularly requested.
- Historical features (e.g. Poorhouses in Ohio).The topic must have wide interest and should introduce genealogically-interesting records.
- Success Stories. This is a great place for genealogical hobbyists to share their research journeys. Write about a specific experience you’ve had breaking through a brick wall, discovering a new ancestor, or getting to know a relative through their personal writings.
- Local Spotlights. These short pieces introduce an Ohio county, city or OGS chapter or affiliated organization. May include a brief local history, description of ongoing chapter activities or projects. Might contain a description of local genealogical resources and repositories (include websites and digital resources).
Articles must be properly cited following the guidelines in standard works by Elizabeth Shown Mills, MLA, or APA.
Entries will be accepted from 1 January 2014 through 1 March 2014 and must be submitted according to The Ohio Genealogical Society Writing Contest Rules and Style Guide available on the OGS website or by e-mail request to writingcontest@ogs.org
For questions please contact writingcontest@ogs.org