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Member Recognition 


Over the years, BIFHSGO has developed many ways to recognize the talents and contributions of its members.


Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame, BIFHSGO’s longest running award, honours members for long term meritorious contributions to the Society, family history research and genealogy.

Nominees (individuals or teams) will be inducted annually if they meet the criteria listed below. Multiple awards may be given in any particular year. Nominee(s) are inducted at BIFHSGO's Annual General Meeting in June. Current members of the Board are not eligible for nomination.

Criteria include:

  • The advancement of BIFHSGO objectives (vision, mission and values)
  • The advancement of BIFHSGO projects or activities; e.g., publishing, educational programs
  • Outstanding long term service to the Society.
  • The advancement of genealogy and family history in general
  • The nominee(s) will have recently contributed to the goals of BIFHSGO

Each February, members are invited to nominate a candidate for consideration by the Board.  The nomination period ends 30 April. For more information, please contact secretary@bifhsgo.ca


The nomination form is available in Member Announcements on the website.


Best Anglo-Celtic Roots Article
An award for the Best Anglo-Celtic Roots Article written by a member in a given publishing year has been awarded since 2000.

A panel of judges selects winners based on specific criteria, including:
  • Interest and impact of the topic
  • Quality of the language: freshness, originality
  • Organization/presentation of thought
  • Use of varied sources and care taken with facts 

These categories were chosen to reflect what are generally considered the major aspects of good writing, bearing in mind that the articles have already been copyedited and are considered to support the BIFHSGO mandate.

For more information, please contact the ACR editor at acreditor@bifhsgo.ca

Award Winners


Best Talk by a Member (Retired Award)

In the past, BIFHSGO presented a Best Talk by a Member award to recognize excellence in talks given at monthly meetings.

The awards were based on specific criteria. Winners were selected by members in votes held at the end of the program year, with low participation. In a 2024 survey, BIFHSGO members said it was impossible for them to choose one talk over another as the best of the year.

The Board ceased the awards for best talks, beginning in the 2024-2025 program year. Instead, all member speakers are recognized for their careful research, informative and often poignant stories, and valuable tips and techniques.


The link below identifies the winners in each of the three categories over past years:
  • Best Feature Talk (initiated in 2000/01)
  • Best Education Talk (initiated in 2015/16)
  • Best Great Moment Talk (initiated in 2018/19)

Award Winners to 2023

Writing Competitions

BIFHSGO has organized writing competitions to mark the 20th, 25th and 30th anniversaries of the society.

Members were invited to submit articles; judges selected the winners and awarded first, second and third prizes and honourable mentions. The winning articles were then published in upcoming issues of Anglo-Celtic Roots.

Award Winners