40th Anniversary Writers & Illustrators of the Future

The annual Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards gala event was held on April 25, 2024 at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. This years’ proceedings marked two important mile­stones: the 40th anniversary of the Awards for Writers and the 35th for Illustrators. The lavish ceremonies commemorated 24 new winners and included retrospectives on four decades of imagi­native achievement; Grand Prize winners were Jack Nash in writing (for his novelette “Son, Spirit, Snake”) and Tyler Vail in illustration.

Founded by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1980s, the Awards celebrate the best work by early-career writers and illustrators in the speculative genres as selected by a panel of expert, and often celebrity, judges. The Awards are organized by Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press, which represent and publish Hubbard’s writing.

Attendees in gowns and tuxedos walked a red carpet into the ornate Taglyan Complex, where the Grand Ballroom was lit in shades of gold and purple. Faux mammoth horns adorned the stage, a nod to this year’s theme, “Shaman Dreams,” and the cover art of this year’s anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents: Writers of the Future Vol. 40.

The ceremony bookended a weeklong series of events for contest winners, all geared toward ad­vancing their careers and skills. “When somebody wins the contest, it’s a really big deal,” explains writer Kevin J. Anderson, guest instructor and judge, in an introductory video to the Awards. Win­ners are flown to Hollywood for workshops, networking opportunities, and mentorship sessions with industry professionals. During one exercise, writers are challenged to complete a short story in 24 hours.

All winners receive cash prizes and the Awards’ traditional trophies, Lucite pyramids encasing silver pens and brushes; the Grand Prize awards come with an additional $5,000. Coordinating Judge Jody Lynn Nye and author Orson Scott Card presented Jack Nash with the Golden Pen for writing, while Coordinating Judge Echo Chernik and painter Bob Eggleton awarded Tyler Vail with the Gold­en Brush in illustration. In his acceptance speech, Nash encouraged other writers to take chances on their art and not discount their own ideas. Vail praised the support and feedback offered by the judges and mentors at the workshops, and concluded with a declaration to “pay it forward” to other artists.

2024’s cohort of winners (all featured in the anthology) hailed from around the world, including Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and New Zealand, in addition to the United States and Canada. The 12 Quarterly Winners of the 2024 Writer’s Contests include Stephannie Tallent, Galen Westlake, John Eric Schleicher, Rosalyn Robilliard (Rose & Alice Robilliard); Sky McKinnon, James Davies, Lance Robinson, Kal M., Lisa Silverthorne, Jack Nash, Tom Vandermolen, and Amir Agoora. The 12 Quarterly Winners of the 2024 Illustrator’s Contests are Selena Meraki, Carina Zhang, Arthur Haywood, May Zheng, Tyler Vail, Ashley Cassaday, Jennifer Mellen, Gigi Hooper, Pedro N, Guelly Rivera, Steven Bentley, and Connor Chamberlain.

Additional awards included Certificates of Recognition for John & Emily Goodwin, awarded by representatives of the local District and the office of Paul Krekorian of the Los Angeles City Council. Pat Henry, President of Dragon Con, conferred Honorary Dragon Awards on Emily Goodwin and the late L. Ron Hubbard, in recognition of their contributions to the contests.

Writer and editor Dean Wesley Smith, who featured in the inaugural an­thology of 1984, gave a speech describing the Writers of the Future com­munity’s pivotal impact on his career. Other writing judges in attendance included Nnedi Okorafor, Gregory Benford, Todd McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Tim Powers, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Katherine Kurtz, Rebecca Moesta, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Robert J. Sawyer, S.M. Stirling, and Dean Wesley Smith. Artistic judges included Echo & Lazarus Chernik, Craig Elliott, Brian C. Hailes, Bea Jackson, and Rob Prior.

The role of speculative fiction in a challenging publishing landscape was a recurring theme throughout the night’s presentations. John Goodwin, President of Galaxy Press, emphasized that “in an era when the future of publishing seems as vast and variable as the universes we imagine,” the Awards’ continued support for writers is more necessary than ever. Gun­hild Jacobs, Executive Director of Author Services, Inc. and the night’s mistress of ceremonies, also addressed the growing issue of AI-produced art. Jacobs reaffirmed the Awards’ commitment to uplifting human artistry. “The late Dr. Jerry Pournelle’s prediction in 1987 that a computer would win the Campbell and Hubbard Awards 20 years hence did not material­ize,” she quipped. “Our winners tonight are indeed very real.”

Begun in 1984 after the publication of Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth, the first Writers of the Future workshop was held in a hotel in Sag Har­bor (“a remote, windblown place,” as Tim Powers recalls in the Awards’ commemorative video). From there, the size and scope of the contest grew, with events hosted in Cape Canaveral, Houston, and Seattle. Professional judges for art and writing have included names such as Frank Herbert, C.L. Moore, Andre Norton, Robert Silverberg, Brandon Sanderson, Theodore Sturgeon, Jack Kirby, Ciruelo, Will Eisner, and Frank Frazetta.

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests are free to enter, and intended for creators at the beginning of their professional careers. Judges choose three writers and three illustrators every quarter, and the 24 win­ners are compiled in the yearly anthology. For information about the con­test, submission guidelines, and event updates, see the organization’s web­site.

–Maya St. Clair

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Photographers: Author Services, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Carolyn Clink

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