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In this, the 19th year of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future© Contest and its companion Illustrators of the Future©
Contest—the largest and most successful merit competitions of their
kind—we welcome you to issue #3 of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Herald.
In this eNewsletter you will find out about the newly released Writers of the Future volume XVIII, the Awards Ceremony just held in Hollywood, the newest judges for the contest and the second quarter 2002 Illustrator winners.
We hope it will keep you informed and entertained and wish you good writing, good illustrating and always, good reading.
View
our history here.
| L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Update |
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Eighteen writers and ten illustrators, all award-winners,
joined Contest judges and other special guests and friends
on August 17th at Author Services, Inc. in Hollywood,
CA to receive their awards and celebrate the release
of Writers of the Future, Volume XVIII. View the Awards
ceremony here.
| NEW RELEASE! |
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| NEW WINNERS ANNOUNCED |
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2nd Quarter 2002 (January 1 - March 31, 2002)
Illustrators Contest winners announced
Congratulations to:
Daniel Willis, Mike Lawrence,
Youa Vang
Daniel Willis has given us permission to share one of his
winning illustrations in the Herald.
The 2nd Quarter 2002 Writers Contest winners will be
announced in the next issue of the Herald.
View past quarterly winners biographies and photos
from L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future,
Volume XVIII here.
Myke Cole of Arlington, VA won Third Place in the
1st Quarter 2002 Writers Contest. He has this to say:
"It is extremely daunting for aspiring speculative fiction writers. The most dismaying thing for many of us
is the fact that markets are so overwhelmed with submissions that editors are faced with extremely difficult choices in making their selections. It is frequently necessary to network, and carefully tailor submissions to meet the style of a specific market.
"What's so nice about the Writers of the Future Contest is that it is completely anonymous and merit-based. Because there is a wide range of judges, there is likewise a wide range of tastes. Because it is completely anonymous, networking is out of the picture.
"You simply have to do one thing: write the absolute best story you possibly can, and be confident that it is being judged by some of the most achieved writers in the genre.
"There is but one considered factor: quality.
"And that is why, in spite of numerous past rejections, I have continued to enter this contest, and why I take such enormous pride in finally winning."
AN INTERVIEW WITH SERGEY
POYARKOV,
1990 GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF THE
ILLUSTRATORS CONTEST, PROFESSIONAL
ARTIST AND CONTEST JUDGE
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Sergey Poyarkov in 1991 |
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Sergey Poyarkov in 2001 |
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE
L. RON HUBBARD ILLUSTRATORS OF THE FUTURE CONTEST?
Twelve years ago I found it advertised in the Fandom Directory.
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU ENTER?
Once.
YOU WON THE GRAND PRIZE?
Yes, I was sent the story, "A Plumbers Tale," by the Contest Administrator. I returned my illustration for the story but didn't expect to win. I enjoyed the trip to Los Angeles as I had never been to the free world.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine.
TELL US ABOUT WINNING THE GRAND PRIZE?
It's still very exciting for me! The whole atmosphere
in the ceremony was to gather to know who the Grand
Prize winner was. Every person, of course, hopes he'll
win it and we all had that hope. Winning the Grand Prize
helps you as an artist because as an artist, you can
have ups and downs. Winning brings assurance and confidence
to the artist who wins. Not to mention the $4,000 check
and money from the publisher for the illustration. For
a beginning artist, that's a substantial amount! For
a beginning artist from the Ukraine, it's like being
a millionaire! For me, it was a fortune!
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER YOU WON THE GRAND PRIZE?
My American friends were brave and gave me a book in
English to illustrate—FINAL BLACKOUT by L. Ron Hubbard.
It took me three weeks to read the book and ten days
to draw ten illustrations. It was easier after that
to read English, in fact, reading the book myself helped
me overcome that barrier.
WHAT IS THE THRUST OF YOUR CAREER NOW?
After winning, I won more prizes in the United States
and then drifted from illustration to fine arts. Now
I write my own ideas and illustrate them. L. Ron Hubbard
set a captivating example of living at full blast. The
Contest helped start my career and the life of L. Ron
Hubbard set a very good example for me to follow.
HOW DO YOU LIKE BEING ON THE PANEL OF JUDGES?
I love it! Being a judge in this huge international contest is very exciting! I love being
associated with the name of Frank Frazetta and the other judges.
It gives me an enormous pleasure especially since I'm the first Grand Prize winner amongst the illustrators to become a judge for the Contest.
| The Writers Contest welcomes Charles Sheffield to the panel of judges. |
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Dr. Sheffield is a past winner of the Campbell, Sci-un (Japanese), Hugo and Nebula Awards. In addition to his prize-winning novels, he has published more than one hundred science fiction short stories. The following advice is excerpted by permission of Dr. Sheffield from his essay in WOTF Volume XI, called "The Tilted Playing-Field."
WRITING ADVICE...
I usually say to would-be science fiction writers:
Never forget how lucky you are to be writing science
fiction. A professional tennis player or professional
football player must operate on a court or a field that
is defined in advance, and is the same for everyone.
You don't have that constraint. You get to choose
your playing field, and you can place it in the area
of your own greatest strengths. If you want to tilt
the field a certain way for your particular advantage
and convenience, that's your privilege.
No level playing-field for you. Science fiction writers
are the most fortunate people on Earth.
| Interested in participating
in the Contests? |
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Participating is very easy and
there is no entry fee. Just remember, the deadline for
the next quarter is September 30th, 2002,
a deadline by postmark. Three cash prizes are awarded
each quarter for each Contest. For writers, first
prize is $1,000, second prize is $750, third prize is
$500. For illustrators, three winners are selected and
each wins $500. The annual Grand Prize for each
Contest is $4,000.
There are certain requirements
that must be met when submitting your entry. The rules
for the Contests have been provided below, so please
review these before sending in your entry.
The mailing addresses are:
The Contest Administrator for the
Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contest may be
contacted at the following e-mail address: contests@authorservicesinc.com.
You will find she is quite helpful in sorting out
questions on the rules, eligibility requirements,
entry specifications, etc. Feel free to e-mail her
and, while you are in touch, let her know how you like
the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Herald!
Get Tips on Writing and Art
From L. Ron Hubbard
and Other Science Fiction Greats |
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As a limited time offer
Author Services, Inc. is offering you a special
package to help you get the most out of your artistic
endeavors. This package includes the entire
set of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers
of the Future, Volumes I-XVIII and you will
also receive a complimentary copy of Ron The
Writer: The Shaping of Popular Fiction—containing
helpful articles about the craft and business
of writing fiction. |
| Benefits you'll receive
from this package: |
| • |
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Each
of the eighteen paperbacks contain in
all, over 180 prizewinning short
science fiction and fantasy stories by
talented new writers so you can gain
insight into what award-winning
stories read like. You know you're
reading the best, as each story is
selected by leading science fiction
legends such as Dr. Gregory Benford,
Algis Budrys, Orson Scott Card, Anne
McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Andre Norton,
Frederik Pohl, Dr. Jerry Pournelle,
Tim Powers, Robert Silverberg, Jack
Williamson, Gene Wolfe, Roger Zelazny
and numerous other luminaries in the
writing field. |
| • |
Every writer's
prizewinning story is brought to life
with an original illustration by the
quarterly Illustrators of the Future
winners selected by such artists as
Frank Frazetta, Frank Kelly-Freas, Edd
Cartier, Will Eisner, H.R. Van Dongen
and Bob Eggleton. |
| • |
Each
volume contains essays on writing
and art by L. Ron Hubbard
covering such subjects as: story
vitality, suspense, circulation
and many other vital topics. In
addition, articles containing numerous
writing and illustration tips are
included in each volume by other
professionals. |
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