25 MAY 2025—This evening at the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2025 Family History Conference, Tales and Trails, at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky, Judy Nimer Muhn, Chair of the NGS Awards Committee, presented several awards during the 2025 SLAM! Idea Showcase. The Showcase recognizes outstanding projects and programs by societies, libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions (SLAM). Fittingly, the awards included the Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship, NGS Newsletter Competition, and the winners of the Rubincam Youth Writing Competition. This year’s SLAM! Idea Showcase winner was also announced.
Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship
Dennis L. Meldrum, MLS, received this year’s Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship. As regional manager for the FamilySearch Book Scanning Project, Meldrum led teams whose work resulted in the FamilySearch Digital Library. His goal was to make source materials as widely available as possible. Over the years, his teams were comprised of FamilySearch colleagues, partners in dozens of libraries worldwide, and hundreds of volunteers. Today, the digital library of genealogy and local history materials is the largest in the world. It features more than 635,000 free, searchable, and downloadable digital books, and is a testament to the value of Meldrum’s work and support of librarians, family historians and researchers throughout the world.
Created in 1999 by NGS, the award is named for the late P. William Filby, former director of the Maryland Historical Society and author of many genealogical reference tools that genealogists have relied on for decades. It is presented annually at the NGS Family History Conference. This year’s award is sponsored by FamilySearch, sharing its commitment to empowering researchers and libraries around the world.
The winners of the 2025 NGS Newsletter Competition, honoring excellence in newsletter editorship by genealogical/historical societies, family associations, and related member organizations in two categories, are:
Newsletter for a Small Society with less than 500 members
Winner: St. Clair County Genealogical Society Quarterly, St. Clair County Genealogical Society, Belleville, Illinois Editor Greg Wade
Newsletter for a Large Society with more than 500 members
Winner: Italian Genealogical Group Newsletter, Italian Genealogical Group, Bethpage, New York Editor Richard Graziano, Ed.D.
SLAM! Idea Showcase
Justice for Greenwood for “Know Your Roots: Genealogy 101 Workshop” was the winner of the NGS 2025 SLAM! Idea Showcase. The hybrid event was designed to help the Tulsa, Oklahoma, community, the Tulsa Race Massacre descendants, and others research ancestors and bridge gaps in their family history. It combined hands-on instruction from experts, storytelling circles, and exhibits that successfully engaged visitors of all ages.
Rubincam Youth Writing Competition was established in 1986 to encourage and recognize our youth as the next generation of family historians. It honors Milton Rubincam, CG, FASG, FNGS, for his many years of service to NGS and to the field of genealogy.
Junior Rubincam Youth Award
Winner: Isabelle Hailey Kee, “Tracing Roots, Finding Purpose”
Honorable Mention: Yasmeen Fahs, “Delicious Legacy of my Family”
Senior Rubincam Youth Award
Winner: Jennifer Duong, “A Redhead and A Dream”
Honorable Mention: Sadie Hall Kraft, “Four Generations of the Hall Name”
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Contact: Matt Menashes, CAE Phone: 703-525-0050 Email: mattm@ngsgenealogy.org ____________________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society inspires, connects, and leads the family history community by fostering collaboration and best practices in advocacy, education, preservation, and research. We enable people, cultures, and organizations to discover the past and create a lasting legacy. A 501(3)(c) charitable organization, NGS is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historians and genealogists.
