Each Spring at the Annual Meeting, the Rhode Island Genealogical Society awards a price for an article appearing in Rhode Island Roots during the prior calendar year. The award honors the legendary long-time editor of Rhode Island Roots, Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, champion of the unique Rhode Island story and the art of uncovering them through sound research. The first such award will be given in Spring, 2025, and annually thereafter.
The criteria of the award are:
- thorough and well-documented research
- interesting writing
- a focus on solving identity or discovering life details of one or more Rhode Islanders
- for articles such as transcriptions or abstracts, quality and importance of the work and its contribution to Rhdoe Island genealogy will be taken into account.
As with all Rhode Island Roots submissions, any marrative article must be an original work solely produced by the named author(s) making the submission. It may not have appeared in print previously, and not be submitted simultaneaously for any other publication. A transcription or set of abstracts must also be the work of the named contributor(s), thoroughly acknowledging the historical documents being transcribed.
There is no need to apply; any article submitted, accepted, passed successfully through the editorial process, appearing in print in Rhode Island Roots becomes eligible for the prize. Follow the directions in the “Publications” portion of this website for submission instructions. The Gleanings volumes are not included in eligibility. Members of the RIGS Publications Committee are not eligible for the award.
The prize, awarded at the spring annual meeting, will include a certificate, an award of $100, and the author’s name and information posted on the website, in the newsletter, and in social media.
Please be aware that not every article submitted to Rhode Island Roots will be suitable for the journal and therefore, may not be printed in the journal and eligible for the prize. Acceptance of articles is at the discretion of the editorial personnel of Rhode Island Roots. The timing of inclusion of any accepted article will often be months or even a year after submission.