2010 • Volume 26

The 26th Annual Awards Ceremony was held on Saturday, August 28 at the Hotel Roosevelt in the heart of tinseltown. It took place in the Blossom Room, host of the very first Academy Awards. Winners from the contest year October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009, attended. The Writers and Illustrators of the Future workshops were held in Hollywood at Author Services, Inc.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. June Scobee Rodgers. She is the founder of the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education, an international network of realistic space simulators to inspire classroom audiences. So far, more than 8 million students have completed Challenger Center missions creating a whole new generation looking toward the future.

This Contest year, we added four well-known and highly respected writers to our distinguished roster of WotF judges: Mike Resnick, former WotF winner Eric Flint, Dean Wesley Smith, who was published in WotF Volume I, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who (along with Dean) attended the very first WotF workshop.

Judge Robert J. Sawyer’s novel Fast Forward was developed into a popular TV series. Judge (and Lead Instructor for the workshop) Tim Powers sold an option on his book On Stranger Tides to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will be based upon On Stranger Tides.

Winners Cat Sparks and Ian McHugh (both writers) received Australia’s prestigious Aurealis Award in 2009.

Winners James Alan Gardner and K.D. Wentworth (now Coordinating Judge) were Nebula Finalists in 2009 for the Novelette. Winner and judge Nina Kiriki Hoffman won a Nebula for her short story “Trophy Wives.”

Winners James Alan Gardner and Robert Reed, along with judge Mike Resnick, were all nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award. Winners Aliette de Bodard and Tony Pi were both short-listed for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Illustrators of the Future winner Shaun Tan and judge Bob Eggleton were nominated for the Best Professional Artist Hugo. Illustrators Gold Award winner Frank Wu won the Hugo for Best Fan Artist.

And, lastly, in very sad news, famed artist Frank Frazetta passed away. Frank was an Illustrators of the Future Judge since the Contest’s inception who gave generously of his time to help new artists and produced many fine covers for the WotF anthology series through the years.