The Southern California Genealogical Society has posted their "2005 Family History Writing Contest Winners" - Although the contests were selected by May 1, 2006 the contest was for 2005 entries. You can go to their website and click on Writing Contest, and then 2005 Contest Winners. Their website is www.scgsgenealogy.com .

Category 1: Unpublished family or local-history articles of 1,000-2,000 words:

1st Place Emily Pritchard Cary, Scottsdale, Arizona
"The Pittsburgh Press"

2nd Place Erica Olsen, San Francisco, California
"A Street in Stavanger"

3rd Place Lisa A. Melone, South Berwick, Maine
"Mia Nonna La Contadina"

4th Place - Tie Dick Lutz, Murrieta, California
"Odyssey to Opportunity"

Linda D. Menicucci, Paradise, California
"Coming of Age in 1968"

Honorable Mentions - Zena Grant, Hertfordshire, England, UK
"As He Was a Gentleman"

Tami Lorbecke, Claremore, Oklahoma
"Dear Diary"

Bill Luther, Valinda, California
"1954 and the Great Move"

Diane McElwain, Harpursville, New York
"Hedivka's Story"

Lucile I. McKenzie, Eugene, Oregon
"Mill Camp"

Alta Nelson, Carlsbad, California
"The Tale of Two Child Wanderers"

Faye Schreder, Sartell, Minnesota
"A Letter to Hank"

Sara Thompson, Louisville, Kentucky
"A Yankee Belle Tells It Straight"

Cathy Wilson, Helper, Utah
"Veiled Grace"

Finalists Diane Altona, San Diego, California
"Thanks for the Memories"

Staci Barsness, Issaquah, Washington
"The Wedding Photo"

Cynthia Brian, Moraga, California
"Twenty-two Inches in Rose-Colored Glasses"

Sandra Carpenter, Oceanside, California
"Food for Thought"

Mary Ann Gove, Cottonwood, Arizona
"Sheep Dip Cookies"

Diana M. Hawkins, Suwanee, Georgia
"My First Place Ride: A Memoir"

Terence Jenkins, London, England, UK
"My Unknown Grandfather"

Joyce A. Laird, Arleta, California
"Weekend Memories 1952"

Marilyn Ludwig, Murrieta, California
"Remembering Those Learning Years"

Maria B. Murad, Apple Valley, Minnesota
"Dickey: A Memoir of My Father"

Mary Nelson, Garden Grove, California
"November 1944"

D. Nickson, Cheshire, England, UK
"Family History, 1939-1945"

Vernon L. Singleton, Davis, California
"Hard Times Can Be Favorable"

Stella Ward Whitlock, Fayetteville, No. Carolina
"Daddy Didn't Whistle Anymore"

Category 2: Previously published family- or local-history articles of 1,000-2,000 words:

1st Place Harvey Kurzfield, Cornwall, England, UK
"My Grandparents"

2nd Place Anne L. Harvey, Derbyshire, England, UK
"Hot Air Balloons and Bedwarmers"

3rd Place Char McCargo Bah, Stafford, Virginia
"My Brown German Cousin"

Honorable Mentions - Sandra Carpenter, Oceanside, California
"Can or Can Not"

Emily Pritchard Cary, Scottsdale, Arizona
"Duet: Melodrama in Three-Quarter Time"

Mary Ann Gove, Cottonwood, Arizona
"Frying Eggs on the Sidewalk"

Finalists Lynette Harris Denton, Fort Smith, Arkansas
"Stop This Car! I Want to Get Married"

Myrna Beth Lambert, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
"The Donkey Club: Memories of a Precinct Captain's Daughter"

Category 3: Published or unpublished family- or local-history articles of fewer than 1,000 words.

1st Place Linda D. Menicucci, Paradise, California
"Legacy"

2nd Place - Tie Diana Altona, San Diego, California
"Grandpa, We Hardley Knew Ye"

Lucile McKenzie, Eugene, Oregon
"Allie, Ira, and Will"

3rd Place Bonnie Copeland, Costa Mesa, California
"Shopping With Grandma"

4th Place Monica Mukherji, London, England, UK
"A Lucky Break"

Honorable Mentions Emily Pritchard Cary, Scottsdale, Arizona
"Grandmother Stuart"

Anne Clarke, Christchurch, New Zealand
"Wartime Christmas in New Zealand"

Merlene Hill, Downey, California
"The Legal Dilemma"

Lisa Brahin Weinblatt, Wayside, New Jersey
"Grandmother's Tales Spotlight Rabbi Who Saved Treasure From the Old Country"

Stella Ward Whitlock, Fayetteville, No. Carolina
"Grandpa's Gift of Love"

Finalists Catherine Bentley, Ontario, Canada
"A Winter Morning in Ancoats, Early 1930s"

Cynthia Brian, Moraga, California
" 'No!' Is Not the Right Answer"

Mary Nelson, Garden Grove, California
"On Being an Only Child"

Vesta Siemers, Las Cruces, New Mexico
"Uncle Fred"

Elinos Alton Whitlock, Fayetteville, No. Carolina
"The Buggy Whip"