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"A culture is as rich and as capable of surviving as it has imaginative artists. The artist is looked upon to start things. The artist injects the spirit of life into a culture. And through his creative endeavors, the writer works continually to give tomorrow a new form. "In these modern times, there are many communication lines for works of art. Because a few works of art can be shown so easily to so many, there may even be fewer artists. The competition is very keen and even dagger sharp. "It is with this in mind that I initiated a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged." L. Ron Hubbard, 1983  WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS OF THE FUTURE CONTESTS From the start of his own illustrious writing career, L. Ron Hubbard offered practical advice based on hard earned knowledge about the writer's craft to others seeking to enter the profession. Shortly after launching his own meteoric rise as an author of popular fiction, he was back at universities such as Harvard and George Washington lecturing to students and offering practical advice about how to make the jump from literary courses to professional writing careers. In 1935, at only twenty-four, he was elected president of the prestigious New York Chapter of the American Fiction Guild. During his tenure Ron initiated a much needed campaign to attract new and as yet unpublished writers to the Guild while never hesitating to provide new members with all-important introductions to established editors and publishers. He was also the author of how-to articles for magazines such as Writer's Review, Writer's Digest and Author and Journalist which were filled with practical advice and examples, and continue to be used today in writers' workshops and seminars. In 1940, while hosting a radio show in Alaska, he initiated the Golden Pen Writing Contest for which he put up the prize money and judged the stories. Many years later in 1983—as the culmination of his life-long commitment to helping other writers—L. Ron Hubbard established what has become the hallmark discovery vehicle for the best new writers of speculative fiction, the Writers of the Future Contest. The stacks of envelopes containing new stories by entrants display postage of every English-speaking country and many that speak other languages. Age is not a factor. Contestants have ranged from eleven years to seventy-five. Backgrounds and occupations are equally diverse. Doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, housewives, factory workers, farmers, dentists, students and professors are just a few of the occupations represented among the thousands of aspiring entrants. Command of the language varies from fledgling and tentative to the highest echelons of sophistication; but every entrant shares a common characteristic—the urge to tell a story that is a work of narrative skill. In 1988, under L. Ron Hubbard's inspiration, a companion contest for new illustrators was founded to encourage the speculative fiction artist, in much the same way the writers' contest has done for authors. Winning illustrators take the winning stories and illustrate them for the annual anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future. Both contests are judged by top writers and illustrators of speculative fiction who contribute their time and experience to identifying and encouraging novice writers and illustrators of talent. In addition to quarterly prizes, which earn significant cash prizes, Grand Prize winners receive $4,000 and the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award trophy. Administered by ASI, on behalf of L. Ron Hubbard, the Writers of the Future and Illustrators of the Future Contests have provided encouragement and opportunity to novice writers and artists for more than a decade. More than that, they have provided a springboard for many of the most promising writers and illustrators—new talents whose gifts will shape the literary and artistic forms of the new century. The contests are a wellspring of creativity that has inspired a generation of creative writers and artists. Winners of the Writers of the Future Contest alone have gone on to sell well over two hundred fifty novels and more than two thousand five-hundred short stories. Entrants who have never won also point to their participation in the contest as the driving force that speeded their entry into the professional ranks. For more information please reviewwww.writersofthefuture.com

Writers of the Future article: © 1985 L. Ron Hubbard Library ALL RIGHTS RESERVED