Accompanying the Writers’ Contest winning stories, we also present this year’s Illustrators of the Future Contest winners. And I have the honor of being the Coordinating Judge and art director for illustrations in this fortieth anniversary edition of Writers of the Future.
L. Ron Hubbard established the Writers of the Future Contest forty years ago, followed by Illustrators of the Future five years later, for aspiring creatives “to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” And together, the stories and illustrations create a synergy not found in other anthologies.
The Illustrators of the Future Contest is designed to help launch the careers of aspiring illustrators. New illustrators often struggle to succeed with little guidance, and the workshops the winners attend allow us to share our experiences and give back to the world for all the amazing experiences we’ve been blessed with. Judging it and holding these workshops is an honor that has been enjoyed by the likes of Frank Frazetta, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Larry Elmore, Bob Eggleton, Laura Freas Beraha, Val Lakey Lindahn, and many other legends.
The Illustrators’ Contest is international in scope and the resulting diversity is amazing—as you can see by the illustrations in this anthology. They all have different art styles with different color palettes, different cultural influences, and different methods of visual storytelling.
This Contest really is a completely merit-based competition and open to anybody. The judges, including myself, have no idea of the winner’s age, gender, ethnicity, or even language, as winners are selected from among every country in the world. Only the best illustrations win.
The Contest works like this: Each quarter (every three months), entrants submit three illustrations. I review all entries and preselect the honorable mentions, semifinalists, and finalists. I try to choose a diverse array of pieces. I look for both technical skill and expertise in visual storytelling. I’m looking for entrants whose vision and passion shine through. After weeding out the non-illustrations and fake entries (e.g., stolen art, AI generated, etc.), the entrants are narrowed down to a few expert works. The finalists are then reviewed by our panel of amazing artist judges who select three winners each quarter.
At the end of the year, the twelve quarterly winners compete in a second competition for the grand prize. Each artist is commissioned to illustrate a story in this anthology. As their art director for the Writers of the Future volumes, my objective is to ensure every illustration is the highest level of quality and does justice to the story it represents and encourage the illustrator to help them create a grand prize–worthy piece. Our full panel of judges chooses the best piece to win the grand prize and $5,000.
Every winner also earns an in-person trip to Hollywood, California, for a weeklong workshop with the Contest judges followed by a gala awards ceremony launching the new anthology. It’s an experience of a lifetime.
My advice to you and any aspiring artist you know is to enter several times a year. Every quarter is a new competition. If you don’t win, it doesn’t mean your work isn’t good. You might have just missed winning by the skin of your teeth. There is a very fine line between winner and finalist. Enter the three strongest illustrations that best represent your style. If that’s what you want to do for a living, that’s what we want to see. Use the quarterly deadlines to hone your skills and enter again. It costs you nothing to enter, so there’s nothing to lose.
There are many opportunities to gain. Take a chance. I look forward to seeing your entries!