2023 WMGS Writing Contest
~ My Favorite Ancestor ~ (Not Limited to Ancestors from Michigan)
Some genealogists have tiny family trees; others have thousands of relatives. No matter the size of your tree, at least one of those ancestors is likely to be your favorite. Maybe it’s a relative who was an adventurous soul. It could be the very first immigrant in your family. Maybe it was a good cook, a business person, a pioneer, a war hero, an artist or a musician. It could be someone you knew or from centuries past. For the 2023 WMGS Writing Contest, climb your family trees and pick an ancestor, grandparents or earlier, who you like well enough to call your favorite ancestor.
How to Enter the 2023 WMGS Writing Contest
Eligibility: All family historians and genealogists, except the Michigana editor and judges, are invited to submit an article for the contest. There is no entry fee and membership in WMGS is not required.
Length: Entries should be 1,500 to 3,000 words. In order to encourage quality in research, please cite your sources by using endnotes. Attach copies of documentation, family group sheets, and pedigree charts when appropriate. Endnotes, documentation, photograph captions, and chart information will not be included in the word count.
Formats: Please submit stories as a Microsoft Word email attachment. IMPORTANT: Please send digitized photographs, charts, maps or graphics in separate files as 300 dpi tiff or jpg files.
Identification: Include the story title, your name, mailing address, phone number and email address in the header of the first page and in the body of the email. This information will be used to identify and notify winners.
Entries will be accepted Jan. 1-March 31, 2023.
Email your submissions to michigana@wmgs.org with “WMGS Writing Contest 2023” in the subject line.
Notification: Contest winners will be announced before the end of 2023, on the WMGS Facebook Page, in Michigana, and at a WMGS membership meeting, if possible. Each entrant will also receive an email with results of the WMGS Writing Contest at the time of the announcement. Winners do not have to be present to win. Prize winning articles will be published in future issues of Michigana. By submitting articles, authors are giving WMGS one-time print & digital rights and are aware that submission will be edited by Michigana staff prior to printing; copyright is retained by the author. Entries may not have been previously published. All prizes may not be awarded.
Prizes: 1st prize: $100 and 1 annual WMGS membership (total value - $120); 2nd prize: $75 and 1 annual WMGS membership (total value - $95); 3rd prize, $50; 4th prize, $25.
For further information about the Writing Contest, please contact the Michigana editor at michigana@ wmgs.org.
Looking for help, feedback, encouragement? The WMGS Writers Group is great for positive camraderie along the writing journey. Check the WMGS website at www. wmgs.org for the latest info on whether the group is meeting online or in person.
Western Michigan Genealogical Society 95 Michigana Volume 68: Issue 3, No. 274
