At the time of its inception, the very idea of a contest of this scope and of a book filled with first-time fiction by amateur writers was seen in many literary venues as "untried" and "challenging," but at the same time as something both "desirable" and "long-needed." The growth, impact and far-ranging influence of the contest has fulfilled—and widely surpassed—every expectation.

Algis Budrys was the Coordinating Judge of the Contest and Editor of the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of The Future anthology at its inception. At the same time, the top in professional expertise in the judging of the entries was provided by a "Who's Who" panel of some of the most celebrated names in the genre, initially including Dr. Gregory Benford, C.L. Moore, Robert Silverberg, Theodore Sturgeon, Jack Williamson and Roger Zelazny. Other stellar figures that have contributed to the judging since that time include Kevin J. Anderson, Dr. Doug Beason, Ben Bova, Ramsey Campbell, Orson Scott Card, Hal Clement, Frank Herbert, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Eric Kotani (Dr. Yoji Kondo), Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Frederik Pohl, Dr. Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Charles Sheffield and K.D. Wentworth.