[CONTINUED]

The excitement mounted as the awards ceremony drew near. On Friday evening, winners, judges and special guests, dressed in their finery, proceeded to the banquet room of the Space Needle, high above downtown Seattle, where they enjoyed the breathtaking view and an exquisite feast.

Everyone then proceeded to the Science Fiction Museum for the 21st Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards. The auditorium provided a spectacular backdrop for the ceremony. The hall was packed with booksellers, librarians, media representatives, fans and many of the biggest names in science fiction and fantasy.

Master of Ceremonies Claude Sandoz, Vice President of Author Services, welcomed everyone to the event. Hugh Wilhere, Vice President of Public Affairs, introduced the newest judges: prolific book cover illustrator and artist Stephen Hickman, bestselling and award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer, and former contest winner and now bestselling author, Sean Williams.

Publishers Weekly and Library Journal publisher Mr. William McGorry presented the Library Journal Award of Excellence to the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests. Both the Mayor of Seattle and the Governor of Washington sent proclamations declaring August 19th Writers and Illustrators of the Future Day.

The Writers of the Future winners were called to the stage to receive their awards culminating in the presentation of the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award and $5,000 Grand Prize to John Schoffstall of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania for the best story of the year, "In the Flu". Judges Tim Powers and Anne McCaffrey were the presenters.

The Illustrators of the Future winners were called to the stage to receive their awards culminating with the presentation of the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award and $5,000 Grand Prize to Erik Valdez y Alanis of Mexico City. Judges Bob Eggleton and Ron Lindahn presented the award.

Capping the ceremony was the release by Galaxy Press president John Goodwin of the award-winning anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXI. The anthology, featuring all the winning stories and illustrations, is the premiere international publishing showcase for emerging literary and artistic talent in the field of science fiction and fantasy.

The post-event celebration overflowed with hundreds of guests who took the opportunity to have their copy of the new volume signed by both winners and judges.

Winners of the 2004 Writers of the Future Contest:

Writers of the Future contest judges and winners

FIRST QUARTER:
Sidra Vitale 1st Place • Brighton, MA
Eric James Stone 2nd Place • Eagle Mountain, UT
Cat Sparks 3rd Place • Balmain, New South Wales

SECOND QUARTER:
John Schoffstall 1st Place • Glen Mills, PA
David Goldman 2nd Place • Portland, OR
M. T. Reiten 3rd Place • Stillwater, OK

THIRD QUARTER:
Stephen Stanley 1st Place • Eugene, OR
Scott Roberts 2nd Place • Fredericksburg, VA
Michael Livingston 3rd Place • Rochester, NY

FOURTH QUARTER:
Floris Kleijne 1st Place • Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sean Tinsley 2nd Place • Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
Ken Scholes • 3rd Place Gresham, OR

FINALISTS:
Andrew Gudgel Baltimore, MD
Michael Rimar Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Lon Prater Panama City Beach, FL

Winners of the 2004 Illustrators of the Future Contest:

Illustrators of the Future contest judges and winners

FIRST QUARTER:
Steven Popovich • Chicago, IL
Michael Brenner • Lawrence, KS

SECOND QUARTER:
Youri Bobrikov • Potava Distriki, Ukraine
Alex Quintero • Ontario, CA
Mike Wohlwend • Stow, OH

THIRD QUARTER:
Perrin Hendrick • Exeter, NH
Alex Paramonov • Kiev, Ukraine
Olga Madyar • Kiev, Ukraine

FOURTH QUARTER:
Ali Hilton • Crossville, TN
Cornelius Cockroft • Brooklyn, NY
Erik Valdez y Alanis • Mexico City, Mexico

Writers of the Future Vol. XXI Cover art by Frank Frazetta

You can be the next winner of the Writers or Illustrators of the Future Contest—but your key to success to get an edge on the competition is to buy and read the Writers of the Future volumes so you can see what our distinguished panel of judges are selecting. 

Not only that, you get to enjoy the stories in each volume from the best new talent in science fiction, fantasy and horror, with their entertaining and creative tales of worlds unknown, worlds to be and worlds only dreamed of.

"...continues to please thousands of readers who become the audience for yet another generation of sci-fi writers." — Orson Scott Card