Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category)
Offered by National Genealogical Society (NGS)
- Award
- $500
- Deadline
- Level
- National
Who can apply
- Year in school
- hs junior, hs senior
Conditions worth reading twice
Senior category: high school students in grades 9-12 at the time of submission. Open to young persons worldwide; NGS membership is not required; students must apply under the appropriate age/grade award. Submissions must be in English, must be original unpublished work, become the property of NGS and will not be returned, are not eligible for later resubmission, and will not be returned if incomplete. Submission must be a four-generation biographical genealogy beginning with the entrant, with authorization letters signed by all living persons named in the genealogy (a subject-consent release for the entrant's own family, not a third-party nomination). A separate Junior category exists for middle school students in grades 6-8 with its own requirements PDF, its own entry form, and a $250 prize; the two categories are administered as one competition but judged and awarded separately.
Essay prompt
Recorded from the provider's application. Read the prompt before you write anything — most rejected essays answer a different question.
- Each applicant should submit a genealogy in a biographical narrative format for one family line; include four generations, beginning with you, as the first generation. You may use a biological, adoptive, or foster parent, or guardian for the second generation. Include authorization letters signed by all living persons named in the genealogy. The submission should demonstrate understanding of various original and derivative source records. It should apply critical analysis and intellectual skills in compiling the family's genealogy. Since families lived through some life-changing events, you should put their lives into historical and genealogical context. Describe the places, times, and events they witnessed. Step No. 1: Write a biography about yourself. Include facts, incidents, and stories with appropriate genealogical information. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 2: For the second generation, select one of your parents. Write a biography describing the person's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 3: For the third generation, select either the mother or father of the second-generation person. Write a biography describing the parent's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 4: For the fourth generation, select either the mother or father of the third-generation person. Write a biography describing the parent's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 5: Prepare a four-generation pedigree (ancestor) chart beginning with yourself, to show birth, marriage, and death information for the principal individuals appearing in the biographies in steps one through four. NGS provides free four-generation pedigree charts at their website. You can type right into these "fillable" charts and save your work, or download a blank copy of a pedigree chart and neatly print into it. Biographies for individual generations should have one thousand to fifteen hundred words and up to five pages in length. Submissions should not total more than fifty pages.
How to apply
Applications are handled by the provider, not by ScholarDuck. Check the deadline on their page before you start — deadlines move, and ours is only as fresh as our last check.
Common questions
When is the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category) deadline?
December 15, 2026. That is the date ScholarDuck recorded from National Genealogical Society (NGS)'s own page. Providers move deadlines without notice, so confirm it on National Genealogical Society (NGS)'s page before you plan around it.
How much is the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category) worth?
$500. This is the figure listed on the page ScholarDuck checked, not an estimate of what any one applicant receives.
Does the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category) application require an essay?
ScholarDuck recorded 1 essay prompt on National Genealogical Society (NGS)'s application. It reads: Each applicant should submit a genealogy in a biographical narrative format for one family line; include four generations, beginning with you, as the first generation. You may use a biological, adoptive, or foster parent, or guardian for the second generation. Include authorization letters signed by all living persons named in the genealogy. The submission should demonstrate understanding of various original and derivative source records. It should apply critical analysis and intellectual skills in compiling the family's genealogy. Since families lived through some life-changing events, you should put their lives into historical and genealogical context. Describe the places, times, and events they witnessed. Step No. 1: Write a biography about yourself. Include facts, incidents, and stories with appropriate genealogical information. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 2: For the second generation, select one of your parents. Write a biography describing the person's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 3: For the third generation, select either the mother or father of the second-generation person. Write a biography describing the parent's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 4: For the fourth generation, select either the mother or father of the third-generation person. Write a biography describing the parent's life. Include facts as well as stories with appropriate genealogical information, life-changing events, and sources. Include supportive evidence. Step No. 5: Prepare a four-generation pedigree (ancestor) chart beginning with yourself, to show birth, marriage, and death information for the principal individuals appearing in the biographies in steps one through four. NGS provides free four-generation pedigree charts at their website. You can type right into these "fillable" charts and save your work, or download a blank copy of a pedigree chart and neatly print into it. Biographies for individual generations should have one thousand to fifteen hundred words and up to five pages in length. Submissions should not total more than fifty pages. That is what we captured rather than their full instructions, so confirm on their page — and read the prompt itself before you write anything, because most rejected essays answer a different question.
Who is eligible for the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category)?
Year in school: hs junior, hs senior. Those are the eligibility facts ScholarDuck recorded from National Genealogical Society (NGS)'s page — a summary of what they publish, not their complete rules. Read their own page before you apply.
How do I apply for the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition (Senior Category)?
Through National Genealogical Society (NGS). ScholarDuck does not accept or forward applications. This page links to the National Genealogical Society (NGS) page ScholarDuck checked, which is where their instructions live; open it, confirm the deadline and requirements there, and apply directly with them.
Writing the essay is the slow part
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