Writers and Illustrators of the Future
Sponsored byGalaxy Press
Date1985 (1985)
VenueTaglyan Grand Ballroom
CountryUnited States
Reward(s)Trophy + $5000
First awarded1985
WinnersList of winners
Highlights
Golden Pen AwardDesmond Astaire (2022)
Golden Brush AwardZaine Lodhi (2022)
Websitewww.writersofthefuture.com

Writers and Illustrators of the Future is a science fiction and fantasy story and art contest that was established by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 as Writers of the Future. A sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was launched in 1988 and presents awards for science fiction art.[1] Hubbard characterized the contest as a way of "giving back" to the field that had defined his professional writing life. The contest has no entry fee and is the highest-paying contest for amateur science-fiction and fantasy writers.

Notable past winners include Robert Reed, Dave Wolverton, Nancy Farmer, James Gardner, Scott Nicholson, Ian McHugh and Randy Henderson.[2]

Contest

Writers of the Future

In 1983, L. Ron Hubbard initiated the "Writers of the Future Writing Contest" with the first awards ceremony held in 1985. Since Hubbard's death in 1986 contests have been organized by the Scientologist organization Author Services Inc. under the trade name Galaxy Press.[1][3]

The "Writers of the Future" contest is run quarterly and is open to authors who have no, or few, professional publications. The contest rules state that entrants cannot have had published "a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment and at least 5,000 copies or 5,000 hits. Works that are less than 3,000 words and for which payment was less 6c/word do not count as "professional" publications. Stories of up to 17,000 words in length can be submitted to the contest. Poems, screenplays, non-fiction, etc., are not eligible.[4]

Manuscripts are judged with the authors' names deleted and are separated out in quarterfinal and semifinal award rounds by the Coordinating Judge (previously K. D. Wentworth, currently Dave Wolverton, and originally Algis Budrys). Eight finalists are sent to a panel of professional science fiction writers, who determine the top three awards. Prizes are $1000 (first place), $750 (second) and $500 (third). The process is repeated quarterly. At the end of the contest year, the four quarterly first place stories compete for a separate annual grand prize, the "Gold Award," which includes an additional $5000. The first, second and third-place winners and often a selection of the other finalist stories are published annually, for which the writers receive additional compensation for publication rights. Thus, a grand prize-winning author can make over $6000 for a single story - more than many writers receive for a first novel.[4][5]

Some finalist stories not considered among the top three (in effect, the fourth or fifth placers) may be included in the annual anthology. These are called "published finalists." The writers are compensated for publication rights, but are not considered winners and receive no prize money, but are eligible to re-enter the contest. Often writers will repeatedly enter the contest, quarter after quarter, until they either win or become ineligible due to publications elsewhere.

Illustrators of the Future

An artists' contest, the Illustrators of the Future, was added in 1988. Like the writers' contest, the illustrators contest is only open to amateurs. The rules state: "The Contest is open to those who have not previously published more than three black-and-white story illustrations, or more than one process-color painting, in media distributed nationally to the general public, such as magazines or books sold at newsstands, or books sold in stores merchandising to the general public. The submitted entry shall not have been previously published in professional media as exampled above."[4]

Entrants submit a portfolio of three pieces of artwork, which are circulated among the judges. Up to three winners are selected every quarter, each given a prize of $500. Unlike the writers, the illustrators are not ranked. After the completion of the contest year, each of the twelve illustration winners is assigned one of the stories from among the twelve writer winners, and given a month to return the finished illustration. A single grand prize, also called the Gold Award, is accompanied by a prize of $5000 - judging is based only on the final illustration, not the initial portfolio. While the art is judged according to standard artistic considerations (composition, draftsmanship, consistency of lighting, sense of wonder, facial expressions, etc.), a key consideration during the final judging is whether or not the art would make the viewer want to read the accompanying story. The art is also included in the annual anthology, and illustrators are additionally compensated.[4]

Awards and workshop

No official tallies are given for the number of entrants in either contest, but it is believed that thousands enter the Writers contest every quarter, while only hundreds enter the illustration contest. Thus, the Illustration judges are sometimes often unable to find three deserving winners, and only pick one or two (this is not a problem for the writing judges). Should the illustration winners number less than twelve in a year, each illustrator is - as usual - assigned a single story to illustrate for purposes of determining who wins the Gold Award. Returning the assigned illustration quickly does not directly correlate to winning the Gold Award, but those artists who do so are allowed the opportunity to illustrate additional stories.

All winners and published finalists are invited to attend the annual week-long writers' and artists' workshops and awards gala at the invitation and expense of the contest administration. Tuxedoes and gowns are worn by the judges, administrators, and winners for the awards gala (but members of the general public are casually attired), and various Hollywood actors are generally in attendance, in addition to prominent science fiction authors and artists. These include the present judges in addition to a famous and generally elderly writer given a Lifetime Achievement Award. While it is not required to attend the week-long festivities and seminars, it is thought by some that those in the running for the Gold Award may advance their cause by displaying professionalism and hard work at that time; judges for the contest, however, refute this, as the judging is done blindly in advance of the week-long pre-awards event and most judges don't arrive on site until the last day of the workshop.

Judges

Many noted writers and artists have judged the awards, or have won them themselves.

Notable writing judges have included: Kevin J. Anderson, Gregory Benford, Algis Budrys, Orson Scott Card, Brian Herbert, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Frederik Pohl, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, K. D. Wentworth, and Jack Williamson.[6]

Prominent art judges have included: Ciruelo Cabral, Edd Cartier, Echo Chernik, Leo and Diane Dillon, Bob Eggleton, Will Eisner, Frank Frazetta, Frank Kelly Freas, Stephen Hickman, and Stephen Youll.[7]

Winners

The following is a list of Grand Prize winners in each contest year. Stories by the grand prize winner, the quarterly top-three, and selected others ("published finalists"), are collected into an anthology each year. Winners and published finalists in the contest have included the writers Robert Reed, Dave Wolverton, Nancy Farmer, James Gardner, Scott Nicholson, Ian McHugh and Randy Henderson, and the artist Frank Wu.[2][8]

Year Author(s) Work(s) Illustrator(s) Vol. Anthology ISBN Ref.
1985 n/a n/a   1 0-88404-170-0 [9]
1986 Robert Reed "Mudpuppies" 2 0-88404-254-5 [10]
1987 Dave Wolverton "On My Way to Paradise" 3 0-88404-245-6 [11]
1988 Nancy Farmer "The Mirror" 4 0-88404-314-2 [12][13]
1989 Gary Shockley "The Disambiguation of Captain Shroud" 5 0-88404-379-7 [13][14]
1990 James Gardner "The Children of Crèche" Derek Hegsted 6 0-88404-504-8 [13][15]
1991 James Glass "Georgi" Sergey Poyarkov 7 0-88404-641-9 [13][16]
1992 Brian Burt "The Last Indian War" Evan T. Thomas 8 0-88404-772-5 [13][17]
1993 Karawynn Long "Adjusting the Moon" Denis Martynec 9 0-88404-823-3 [13][18]
1994 Alan Barclay "Schrödinger’s Mousetrap" Jana Komarek 10 0-88404-900-0 [13][19]
1995 Julia H. West "Sea of Chaos" Dale Ziemianski 11 0-88404-999-X [13][20]
1996 Arlene C. Harris "His Best Weapon" Richard Moore 12 1-57318-027-0 [13][21]
1997 Morgan Burke "A Prayer for the Insect Gods" Eric Williams 13 1-57318-064-5 [13][22]
1998 Brian Wightman "Nocturne’s Bride" Paul Marquis 14 1-57318-154-4 [13][23]
1999 Scott Nicholson "The Vampire Shortstop" Yuri Chari 15 1-57318-163-3 [13][24]
2000 Gary Murphy "Pulling Up Roots" Frank Wu
Yana Yavdoshchook		 16 1-57318-203-6 [13][25]
2001 Meredith Simmons "Magpie" Andy B. Clarkson 17 1-57318-222-2 [13][26]
2002 Dylan Otto Krider "Eating, Drinking, Walking" Irena Yankova Dimitrova 18 1-59212-052-0 [13][27]
2003 Matthew Candelaria "Trust Is a Child" Mike Lawrence 19 1-59212-165-9 [13][28]
2004 William T. Katz "The Plastic Soul of a Note" Laura Diehl 20 1-59212-177-2 [13][29]
2005 John Schoffstall "In the Flue" Erik Valdez y Alanis 21 1-59212-217-5 [13][30]
2006 Brandon Sigrist "Life on the Voodoo Driving Range" Eldar Zakirov 22 1-59212-345-7 [13][31]
2007 Stephen Kotowych "Saturn in G Minor" Lorraine Schleter 23 978-1-59212-398-8 [13][32]
2008 Ian McHugh "Bitter Dreams" Brittany J. Jackson 24 978-1-59212-374-2 [13][33]
2009 Emery Huang "Garden of Tian Zi" Oleksandra Barysheva 25 978-1-59212-436-7 [13][34]
2010 Laurie Tom "Living Rooms" Seth J. Rowanwood 26 978-1-59212-847-1 [13][35]
2011 R. P. L. Johnson "In Apprehension, How Like a God" Irvin Rodriguez 27 978-1-59212-870-9 [13][36]
2012 David Carani "The Paradise Aperture" Hunter Bonyun 28 978-1-61986-076-6 [13][37]
2013 Tina Gower "Twelve Seconds" Aldo Katayanagi 29 978-1-61986-200-5 [13][38]
2014 Randy Henderson "Memories Bleed Beneath the Mask" Trevor Smith 30 978-1-61986-263-0 [13][39]
2015 Sharon Joss "Stars That Make Dark Heaven Light" Michelle Lockamy 31 978-1-61986-322-4 [13][40]
2016 Matt Dovey "Squalor and Sympathy" Adrian Massaro 32 978-1-61986-502-0 [13][41]
2017 Jake Marley "Acquisition" Michael Michera 33 978-1-61986-529-7 [13][42]
2018 Darci Stone "Mara's Shadow" Kyna Tek 34 978-1-61986-575-4 [43]
2019 Andrew Dykstal "Thanatos Drive" Aliya Chen 35 978-1-61986-604-1 [44]
2020 C. Winspear "The Trade" Anh Le 36 978-1-61986-659-1 [45]
2021 Barbara Lund "Sixers" Dan Watson 37 978-1-61986-701-7 [45]
2022 Desmond Astaire "Gallows" Zaine Lodhi 38 978-1-61986-763-5 [46]

Connections to Scientology

Cover of Volume 22 of the anthology series Writers of the Future, prominently featuring Hubbard's name

The original sponsor of the contest was Bridge Publications, Inc., the publishing arm of the Church of Scientology. Prior to the 2004 contest, the sponsorship moved to Author Services Inc. under the trade name Galaxy Press, which was spun off from Bridge [47] to publish Hubbard's fiction and the contest anthologies.[48]

The contest has also been characterized as a promotional vehicle for Hubbard himself, who returned to science fiction writing with Battlefield Earth at about the same time as he began the contest. On the covers of the annual WOTF anthologies, Hubbard's name appears prominently. The prominence of Hubbard's name and the lavish funding of the contest awards, publicity and ceremonies have led some to speculate that the contest is part of a campaign by the Church of Scientology to promote Hubbard's status in the science fiction and literary communities.[49]

Entering or winning the contest does not require or imply endorsement or membership in the Church of Scientology, and the contest itself has been endorsed by a wide range of well-known speculative fiction writers (see Judges and Winners above) who have no relationship to Scientology.[50]

According to Director of the Writers and Illustrators Contests Joni Labaqui, the funds to underwrite the contest—including the cash prizes, the gala awards ceremony and the weeklong pre-awards festivities—come from the Hubbard estate. The Hubbard estate is separate from the Church of Scientology and earns royalties from sales of Hubbard's books, including his fiction. Labaqui also reports that staff of Author Services Inc. is entirely made up of Scientologists.[3]

Records with the United States Patent and Trademark Office show that the rights to the Writers of the Future name were transferred from the L. Ron Hubbard estate ("Family Trust-B") to the Church of Spiritual Technology in 1989,[51] and under the 1993 IRS closing agreement with the Church of Scientology, the L. Ron Hubbard estate became part of the Church of Spiritual Technology, a "Scientology-related entity".[52]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Winners Announced: 2nd Quarter Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests". EIN News. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Writer Winners: Complete Listing by Year". Author Services. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Wu, Frank (May 23, 2006). "Illustrators and Writers of the Future Contest". Letter from Joni Labaqui (bottom of page).
  4. 1 2 3 4 Contest Rules, Writers of the Future web site
  5. ↑ "Author Advance Survey (version 2.0) at Tobias Buckell Online". February 17, 2010. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Writer Judges: From its beginning". Author Services. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Illustrator Judges: From its beginning". Author Services. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Illustrator Winners". Writers & Illustrators of the Future. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Volume 01 - 1985 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Volume 02 - 1986 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Volume 03 - 1987 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Volume 04 - 1988 - Winners". Author Services. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "Illustrator Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Volume 05 - 1989 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Volume 06 - 1990 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Volume 07 - 1991 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Volume 08 - 1992 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Volume 09 - 1993 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Volume 10 - 1994 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Volume 11 - 1995 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Volume 12 - 1996 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Volume 13 - 1997 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Volume 14 - 1998 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Volume 15 - 1999 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Volume 16 - 2000 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Volume 17 - 2001 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Volume 18 - 2002 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Volume 19 - 2003 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Volume 20 - 2004 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Volume 21 - 2005 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Volume 22 - 2006 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Volume 23 - 2007 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Volume 24 - 2008 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Volume 25 - 2009 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Volume 26 - 2010 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Volume 27 - 2011 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Volume 28 - 2012 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Volume 29 - 2013 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Volume 30 - 2014 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Volume 31 - 2015 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Volume 32 - 2016 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Volume 33 - 2017 - Winners". Author Services. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  43. ↑ "2018 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards". LocusMag.com. April 9, 2018. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  44. ↑ "2019 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards". LocusMag.com. April 8, 2019. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  45. 1 2 "2020 and 2021 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards". LocusMag.com. October 26, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  46. ↑ "Volume 38 - 2022". Writers & Illustrators of the Future. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  47. ↑ "SFE: Writers of the Future Contest". sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  48. ↑ "About Us". Galaxy Press. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  49. ↑ Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1995), The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, St. Martin's Press, p. 1351, ISBN 0-312-13486-X
  50. ↑ Acclaim For: Writers of the Future, Writers of the Future web site
  51. ↑ "Trademark Assignment Abstract of Title". United States Patent and Trademark Office. January 3, 1989. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  52. ↑ "Scientology Settles With IRS", Wall Street Journal, December 30, 1997
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