2023 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards
A bright afternoon on Friday, April 28, 2023 opened the 39th Writers of the Future Awards and 34rd Illustrators of the Future Awards gala celebration at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood CA. Authors and judges arrived in limousines, walked a red carpet, posed for photographs, and entered the elegantly designed ballroom for a three-course meal. The audience included winners and their families, illustrious writers and artists who are part of the contest judges panel, and media personalities. The hosts, Author Services and Galaxy Press staffers who represent and publish author L. Ron Hubbard’s writing, worked tirelessly, ensuring everyone had a glamorous Hollywood experience. The décor, stage, and tables in the ballroom were inspired by motifs of dragons and traditional Chinese house architecture used in a cover artwork by artist and judge Tom Wood.
The gala began with a unique Asian-inspired choreographed performance of dancers and acrobats. This was followed by a welcome by Gunhild Jacobs, executive director of Author Services Inc. Contest judges Tim Powers and Kevin J. Anderson came on stage to unseal a time capsule containing predictions written created by winners and judges 25 years ago.
Galaxy Press president John Goodwin formally launched the 2023 anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 39, edited by Jody Lynn Nye & Dean Wesley Smith, with cover art by Tom Wood, which contains all the winning entries. The anthology, he announced to enthusiastic applause, was also published as an audiobook worldwide.
Awards were presented to ten of the 12 writers and illustrator winners, who had travelled from Costa Rica, UK, Canada, and different cities of the States. Some cried with joy, some cheered with their families, while others kissed the trophies, calling it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Golden Pen Award went to writer David K. Henrickson for his story ‘‘White Elephant’’ and the Golden Brush Award went to artist Dao Vi for his illustration of ‘‘The Last History’’ by Samuel Parr. Golden Award winners received the traditional red-and-gold Lucite trophy and $5,000 in prize money.
The L. Ron Hubbard Lifetime Achievement Award went to Robert J. Sawyer, who quipped that the award was ironic as he did everything contrary to conventional wisdom for a successful career in writing. ‘‘Many writers do media tie-ins or work in other people’s universes, but I just couldn’t get myself to play in someone else’s sandbox,’’ he said, adding the same was true when he got sound financial advice to turn his hit novels into series, or rewrite stories around favorite characters or keep to a genre. ‘‘In a world obsessed with author branding, I deliberately don’t have one,’’ he said, advising upcoming authors to constantly reinvent themselves, not become pigeonholed in a certain genre, as new AI technology can now reproduce predictable writing styles.
Generative AI and Chat GPT were on many judges’ mind as it gets more and more difficult to distinguish between human-made and machine-produced work. This year judges were able to cull out entries which look AI-produced using antiplagiarism software, but they anticipate it will become more difficult in the future as technology catches on and AI-generated content becomes more subtle.
The awards presentation was followed by a reception with an open bar, where the audience could buy copies of the newly released anthology, and get them signed by the winning writers, illustrators, and participating judges.
The gala was preceded by a weeklong intense 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. workshop at Loews Hollywood Hotel for the 20 winning writers and artists, selected over four quarters in 2022. Writers learned character development, humor, and the craft of writing, overseen by experienced authors and judges Nancy Kress, Jody Lynn Nye, Nnedi Okorafor, Tim Powers, S.M. Stirling, and editor Lezli Robyn, among others. Artists worked closely with illustrators and judges Echo Chernik, Bea Jackson, Larry Elmore, Tom Wood, Val Lakey Lindahn, Dan Dos Santos, Lazarus Chernik, and others, learning theory of color and composition, ropes of the business while developing illustrations for the winning stories.
Each quarter, entrants from across the world submit their stories and illustrations for the contest. From these, the coordinating judges select honorable mentions and semi-finalists, then narrow them down to three writers and three illustrators, who receive cash prizes ranging from $500-$1,000. The process repeats every three months and at the end of the year, 12 writers and 12 artists are awarded at the annual gala event.
There are no entry fees or geographical restriction to enter the contest, and everyone is encouraged to submit new work every quarter. To participate or for more information about the contest, see their website.
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