Lilian Watson Family History Award

The Award was established in 1983 with the aim of encouraging family historians to present the results of their research for others to read and enjoy and was first awarded in 1984.  It was renamed the Lilian Watson Family History Award in 1996 to honour the memory and the contributions to genealogy and family history of Mrs Lilian Watson who died in March 1996. She was the Foundation Chairman of the Society in 1980 and the first Fellow of the Society, elected in 1995.

The Award

The Award is for a book, however produced or published, printed on paper, dealing with family history and must have a significant Tasmanian content.   
In the context of the Lilian Watson Family History Award, a family history should be a work carefully and accurately researched on a single family, group of related families or a biographical history.

A form in which the literary work is made available for reading, printed, within an enclosed cover and bound.
  
The history should include an index. Illustrations, that is, photographs, drawings, maps, charts, etc., should be relevant to the text, clear and well-captioned.
 
Pages of genealogical data in chart or list form should not take up any more than a third of the whole history. Other important inclusions are the table of contents, references and acknowledgment of sources.
 
Ideally the history should be reproduced in sufficient quantities for either the retail market or private sale among families, and certainly for all to enjoy reading and using. A minimum edition of ten copies is required.
 
The winner of the Award will receive a suitably inscribed, framed certificate, plus a cheque, the value of which is determined each year by the Society Executive and is currently $200, and one year's subscription to the Society.  All other entrants receive a certificate of participation.  The name of the winner and of the winning entry are published on this website and in the September edition of Tasmanian Ancestry.
 
Authors may submit more than one entry and all entries become the property of the Society, authors selecting the Branch library for lodgment. Copyright remains the property of the author unless possession is transferred to the society or elsewhere by a document signed by the author.

 Conditions of  Entry

1. The Award may be made annually, and only one publication may be selected for an award in any one year.
2. All entries must be in recognised book form, that is printed in some way on paper and bound with covers; entries should be indexed, and be issued in an edition of ten or more copies.
3. Copies of the publication must have been deposited with the National Library of Australia and the appropriate state library, or the appropriate libraries for entries from other countries, as required by legislation.
4. All entries must be submitted to the Family History Award Committee by the closing date stated on the entry form. No late entries will be accepted.
5. Publications must not have been previously entered for the Award unless the new entry is an extensively revised new edition.
6. Entries for the Award must have a significant Tasmanian content; e.g. more than half the content of the entry must be Tasmanian based.
7. Entries must be the story of a family or biographical history - a collation of factual details, woven into a story. Historical fiction is not eligible.
8. Authors may submit more than one entry.
9. The entry must be submitted by the author or authors.
10. Each entry accepted for judging will remain the property of the Branch Library of the Society designated on the entry form. A special Lilian Watson Family History Award bookplate will be affixed to each entry.
11. Award winners must allow the Society to publicise their entry following the announcement of the winner of the Award.
12. The Society reserves the right not to make the Award in any one year.
13. Copyright is not required to be transferred to the Society and remains with the author or publisher.

The Judging Panel

1. The Award shall be determined by an independent judging panel of three persons approved by the Society. 
2.  The judging panel must include a genealogist or person experienced in genealogical research. The other two members of the judging panel will be chosen from the following categories:
   1. a qualified librarian
   2. a writer or literary critic of note
   3. an historian or compiler of historical or archival material.  
3. Entries will be judged on scope and detail of the history, depiction of the family/individual in its historical setting, historical accuracy, English expression, arrangement of material, quality of layout type and printing, quality of illustrations and the relevance of these to the text. Indexing should be accurate and comprehensive and genealogical tables clear and easy to follow. Sources of information should be acknowledged and references clearly listed. The judges will also assess how successful the work is in presenting the family or biographical history in terms of the Award and its Tasmanian content.  
4. The Judges will assess each entry under the following headings:
   1. Presentation including accuracy of statement, scope and detail
   2. English expression, arrangement, etc – 40 marks
   3. Indexing and genealogical tables – 20 marks
   4. References and/or bibliography – 20 marks
   5. The work as a whole – 20 marks.
5. The decision of the judging panel shall be final, subject to endorsement by the society before public announcement of the Award.  Your name may appear on the society website.  
6. The Award is made to the person or persons producing, in the opinion of the judges, the best family or biographical history of those submitted for that year.  

20212Lilian Watson Family History Award

A book,  however produced or published on paper, dealing with a family or biographical history and having a significant Tasmanian content.   Entries close 1 December 2022   A PDF version of the 2022 Lilian Watson Family History Award brochure may be downloaded here.

A copy of the 2021 Lilian Watson Family History Award entry form may be downloaded in PDF format or MS Word format (editable) 

Further information and entry forms are available from all TFHS Inc. Branch Libraries or:

The Award Coordinator
TFHS Inc.
PO Box 326
Rosny Park 
Tasmania  7018
Australia

Past Winners

Past Entries

A PDF list of all entries since the inception of the award, along with the names of the judging panels and, from 1998 onwards, which branch library holds the entry, may be downloaded here.