May 2009
The 25th anniversary of the L. Ron Hubbard Awards for winners of the internationally-acclaimed Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests will be held in Hollywood on Saturday, it was announced by contest organizers.
Celebrities and luminaries from around the world of science fiction and fantasy are expected to attend the special gala.
The theme of the evening will be "Celebrating 25 Years of Helping New Writers and Artists" to honor past winners and the 24 winners of the annual contest traveling from as far away as England to receive their awards.
"Cash prizes and inclusion in the 25th annual 'L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers and Illustrators of the Future' anthology (Galaxy Press, 2009) make this a very special night," Joni Labaqui, director of the contest, said.
Presentation of Gold Awards for the year's best story and illustration will culminate the evening.
The Writers of the Future Contest and the companion anthology were created by L. Ron Hubbard 25 years ago to help discover new, aspiring writers of speculative fiction and give their best work a significant publishing showcase.
To date, the Contests have given rise to dozens of flourishing careers, including Dave Wolverton (On My Way to Paradise), Sean Williams (Star Wars), Karen Joy Fowler (Jane Austen Book Club), Patrick Rothfuss (Name of the Wind), Nancy Farmer (The Ear, the Eye and the Arm), Jo Beverley (A Lady's Secret), and Dean Wesley Smith (Men In Black), to name but a few.
At the latest count, winning authors from the Writers of the Future Contest alone have sold over 500 novels and over 3,000 short stories in science fiction and fantasy genres.
Several past winners have gone on to write in other genres, for the theatre, as well as for TV and movies.
Winning illustrators have created numerous covers and story illustrations in speculative fiction, film design, and industrial design.
"The Contests' successes - most prominently defined by those writers who have 'made it' - have left a significant and meaningful mark on the speculative fiction genre and on other aspects of contemporary fiction," Labaqui added.
This news message is supported by The Bazaar, a marketplace to buy and sell creative objects. Earn more revenue by selling your prints, downloadable images, or custom products. Set up your store today and stand a chance to have your products featured on DesignTAXI, towards millions of lovers of creative content!
