South Carolina Genealogical Society, Inc.
Publications Competition
The South Carolina Genealogical Society, Inc. Publications Competition is held annually.
The goals of this competition are to:
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Encourage excellence in genealogical research.
Promote the publication of genealogical material related to South Carolina.
Recognize publications which achieve the highest genealogical standards.
The Publications Competition is divided into seven categories. Within the first four
categories, there are two divisions based on a Chapter’s membership. The S.C.G.S.
President or his designee will present awards, consisting of a plaque or a certificate, at the
Fall S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting. Awards are based upon nominations and may not be
presented in each category each year.
Category I- Best S.C.G.S. Chapter Quarterly Publication
Requirements:
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An S.C.G.S. Chapter must publish each quarterly nominated.
The S.C.G.S. Chapter, not an individual, must submit the nomination.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two current consecutive issues of the publication will be submitted. These issues
must date between 2004 and 2005.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
There are two divisions within this category:
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Chapters with 100 or fewer Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
Chapters with more than 100 Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each quarterly
publication on the following criteria:
(1) Genealogical Content (50%)
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Strong genealogical content. May also contain items of local historical
interest.
Wide variety of previously unpublished genealogical material, local
historical material, or methodology articles.
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Transcriptions must retain the original document’s punctuation and
spelling.
Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)
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Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Statement of purpose and strong audience identification.
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)
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Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) Each Chapter will be notified by mail of their quarterly’s evaluation.
(3) A representative from each winning Chapter will presented with an award at
the fall S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting.
Category II- Best S.C.G.S. Periodical Newsletter
Requirements:
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An S.C.G.S. Chapter must publish each newsletter nominated.
The S.C.G.S. Chapter, not an individual, must submit the nomination.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two current consecutive issues of the publication will be submitted. These issues
must date between 2004 and 2005.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
There are two divisions within this category:


Chapters with 100 or fewer Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
Chapters with more than 100 Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each newsletter
on the following criteria:
(1) Informational Content (50%)
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Each newsletter should contain current news of interest to the membership
from the local chapter or S.C.G.S. Examples might include: upcoming
meetings, new acquisitions, minutes from meetings, treasurer’s report, etc.
Other items of interest, such as articles of genealogical or local history
interest, may be communicated to the membership. If included, then (1)
Transcriptions must retain the original document's punctuation and
spelling, and (2) Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)
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Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Statement of purpose and strong audience identification.
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)
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Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) Each Chapter will be notified by mail of their newsletter’s evaluation.
(3) A representative from each winning Chapter will presented with an award at the
fall S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting.
Category III- Best Article in an S.C.G.S. Publication
Requirements
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Any article, or series of articles, published in any S.C.G.S. chapter’s quarterly or
newsletter, or any article, or series of articles, published in the S.C.G.S. Carolina
Herald, within a two year period prior to the 2005 S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting is
eligible for nomination.
Articles may be nominated by the author, an individual S.C.G.S. member, or by
an S.C.G.S. Chapter.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two copies of each article nominated must be submitted.
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Each article nominated, and accompanying bibliographic information, will be
published in the Carolina Herald.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
There are two divisions within this category:


Chapters with 100 or fewer Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
Chapters with more than 100 Individual & Family memberships as of July 1. Any
article nominated from the Carolina Herald would compete in this division.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each quarterly
publication on the following criteria:
(1) Genealogically Related Content (50%)
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Previously unpublished South Carolina genealogical materials or sources,
local historical materials, or related to South Carolina genealogical
methods and sources.
Transcriptions must retain the original document’s punctuation and
spelling.
Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)
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
Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Statement of purpose and strong audience identification.
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)
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Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) Each author/editor will be notified by mail of their article’s evaluation.
(3) The winning author/editor will be presented an award at the Fall S.C.G.S. Annual
Meeting.
Category IV- Best Book by an S.C.G.S. Chapter
Requirements
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Each book must be published by an S.C.G.S. Chapter. Books may be hard bound
or soft bound. Books must have been published within the two-year period prior
to the 2005 S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting.
The book must be submitted by the Chapter, not an individual.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two copies of each book entry must be submitted. After the contest, one copy
will be retained by the S.C.G.S. for its Archives and the other copy will be
donated to the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia.
Each book submitted will be given a thumbnail review in the Carolina Herald.
The review will include price, ordering information, etc.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
There are two divisions within this category:


Chapters with fewer than 100 Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
Chapters with more than 100 Individual & Family memberships as of July 1.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each book on the
following criteria:
(1) Genealogically Related Content (50%)



Previously unpublished South Carolina genealogical materials or sources,
local historical materials, or related to South Carolina genealogical
methods and sources.
Transcriptions must retain the original document’s punctuation and
spelling.
Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)
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

Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Well conceived and planned.
Does the work contain:
Foreword?
Introduction?
Title page?
Publisher, place, and date?
Table of contents?
Bibliography?
Complete index?
Footnotes and references?
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)
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

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Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) Each Chapter will be notified by mail of their book’s evaluation.
(3) A representative from each winning Chapter will presented with an award at the
fall S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting.
Category V- Best South Carolina Family History
Requirements
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Anyone is eligible to submit a nomination. Books may be hard bound or soft
bound. Nominated books are to center on a South Carolina family, past or
present and include at least four generations of that family. Books must have
been published within the two-year period prior to the 2005 S.C.G.S. Annual
Meeting.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two copies of each book entry must be submitted. After the contest, one copy
will be retained by the S.C.G.S. for its Archives and the other copy will be
donated to the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia.
Each book submitted will be given a thumbnail review in the Carolina Herald.
The review will include price, ordering information, etc.
A nominated book should not be an automatically generated “book” from
genealogical software.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each book on the
following criteria:
(1)
Demonstration of Research Skills (40%)
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Ability to use and analyze a wide variety of primary documents.
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(2)
Place family in a correct, but relevant, historical context.
Documentation (20%)
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(3)
Each fact should be properly documented and cited from its original source.
Full citations using accepted styles.
Writing and editing (20%)
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The book should tell the story of a South Carolina family and not be merely
listing of names and dates.
The book should be an original work, not a compilation of others’ research.
The book should employ a generally recognized numbering system.
Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Well conceived and planned.
Does the book contain:
Foreword?
Introduction?
Title page?
Publisher, place, and date?
Table of contents?
Bibliography?
Complete index?
Footnotes and references?
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(4) Presentation of Material (20%)
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Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) The author/editor will be notified by mail of their book’s evaluation.
(3) The winning author/editor will presented with an award at the fall S.C.G.S.
Annual Meeting.
Category VI- Best South Carolina Genealogical Book
Requirements
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Anyone is eligible to submit a nomination. Books may be hard bound or soft
bound. Nominated books are to center on a South Carolina genealogy. Subjects
might include, but not be limited to: records abstracted from original sources, a
genealogical study of a particular locality, genealogical methodology, etc. Books
must have been published within the two-year period prior to the 2005 S.C.G.S.
Annual Meeting.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two copies of each book entry must be submitted. After the contest, one copy
will be retained by the S.C.G.S. for its Archives and the other copy will be
donated to the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia.
Each book submitted will be given a thumbnail review in the Carolina Herald.
The review will include price, ordering information, etc.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each book on the
following criteria:
(1) Genealogically Related Content (50%)



Previously unpublished South Carolina genealogical materials or sources,
local historical materials, or related to South Carolina genealogical
methods and sources.
Transcriptions must retain the original document’s punctuation and
spelling.
Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)



Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Well conceived and planned.
Does the work contain:
Foreword?
Introduction?
Title page?
Publisher, place, and date?
Table of contents?
Bibliography?
Complete index?
Footnotes and references?
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)




Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(3) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(4) The author/editor will be notified by mail of their book’s evaluation.
(5) The winning author/editor will presented with an award at the fall S.C.G.S.
Annual Meeting.
Category VII- Best South Carolina Local History Book
Requirements
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Anyone is eligible to submit a nomination. Books may be hard bound or soft
bound. Nominated books are to center on the history of South Carolina, its
regions, groups, or institutions. Subjects might include, but not be limited to: the
history of a county, town, geographic region, or other area of South Carolina, the
history of a specific group of individuals (ethnic group, or the membership of a
fraternal organization, etc.), the history of a religious congregation, the history of
an educational institution, etc. Books must have been published within the twoyear period prior to the 2005 S.C.G.S. Annual Meeting.
An entry form must accompany each entry.
Two copies of each book entry must be submitted. After the contest, one copy
will be retained by the S.C.G.S. for its Archives and the other copy will be
donated to the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia.
Each book submitted will be given a thumbnail review in the Carolina Herald.
The review will include price, ordering information, etc.
The nomination deadline for 2005 awards is July 9, 2005. Entries must be
received by this date.
A panel of three judges with no affiliation with the S.C.G.S. will judge each book on the
following criteria:
(1) Historically Related Content (50%)
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A previously unpublished South Carolina history related to the state’s
places or regions, groups of individuals, or institutions.
Sources should be properly cited and documented.
(2) Writing and editing (25%)



Sentence Structure, word usage, spelling, & grammar.
Well conceived and planned.
Does the work contain:
Foreword?
Introduction?
Title page?
Publisher, place, and date?
Table of contents?
Bibliography?
Complete index?
Footnotes and references?
(3) Presentation of Material (25%)




Print quality.
Design harmony and balance.
Effective use of paper.
Effective use of graphics and white space.
Results:
(1) The judges’ scores will be tallied.
(2) The author/editor will be notified by mail of their book’s evaluation.
(3) The winning author/editor will presented with an award at the fall S.C.G.S.
Annual Meeting.
South Carolina Genealogical Society, Inc.
2005 Publications Competition
Nomination Form Award of Excellence
Publication or
Book Title:
Title of Article
(if applicable)
Publisher:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
____________________Publication Date:___________
Author/Compiler/Editor ______________________________________________
Address
__________________________Phone________________
Person Making
Nomination
Name___________________________________________
Address___________________Phone________________
Type of Publication: Check Appropriate Category and Division.
______ S.C.G.S. Chapter Quarterly
_____ Book by an S.C.G.S.
Publication
Chapter
______100 Members or fewer
_____100 Members or fewer
______ + 100 Members
_____ +100 Members
(2 consecutive issues must be submitted)
(2 copies of book must be submitted)
_____ S.C.G.S. Periodical Newsletter
_____South Carolina Family
______ 100 Members or fewer
History
______ + 100 Members
(2 copies of book must be submitted)
(2 consecutive issues must be submitted)
_____ Article in an S.C.G.S. Publication
_____ South Carolina Genealogy
______ 100 Members or fewer
Book
______ + 100 Members
(2 copies of book must be submitted)
(2 copies of article must be submitted)
______ South Carolina Local
History Book
(2 copies of book must be submitted)
Mail Nomination Form and Copies to:
S.C.G.S. Publications Competition
Post Office Box 175
Hartsville, South Carolina 29551-0175
A separate nomination form must accompany each nomination. Each nomination must be
accompanied by 2 copies of the nominated publication, article, or book. If nominating a book, please
provide ordering information, price, etc. This form may be duplicated.