stablished and sponsored by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983, the “Writers’ Award Contest” was a budding competition aimed at discovering, and eventually publishing, deserving amateur and aspiring writers. The field of speculative fiction, an embracing term for science fiction and fantasy, was chosen not only for Mr. Hubbard’s love of and success within the genre—but for the freedom of imagination and expression which it allowed as “a herald of possibility.”

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.” Expert opinions said it couldn’t be done.

Algis Budrys was the first Coordinating Judge of the Contest and Editor of the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of The Future anthology, two positions—among others—he would go on to hold for seven more years. To garner their professional expertise in the judging of the entries, he brought together such stellar genre names as Gregory Benford, C.L. Moore, Robert Silverberg, Theodore Sturgeon, Jack Williamson and Roger Zelazny. Other notable names have contributed to the judging since that time: Ben Bova, Ramsey Campbell, Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Frederik Pohl, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Marta Randall, John Varley, Gene Wolfe, and Dave Wolverton.