Alumni Return to Celebration of Four Decades of Writers and Illustrators of the Future
![[l to r] Dean Wesley Smith, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Leonard Carpenter, Volume 1 alumni, on the stage attending the Writers of the Future Volume 40 Gala.](https://img.einnews.com/large/665384/wotf-1-alumni-at-2024-gala.jpeg#2718x3600)
[l to r] Dean Wesley Smith, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Leonard Carpenter, Volume 1 alumni, attending the Writers of the Future Volume 40 Gala.
Year One Alumni Gathered in Hollywood in Celebration of Four Decades of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future.
HOLLYWOOD, CA, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future welcomed returning alumni from the first awards ceremony in 1985 to celebrate the Contest's 40th anniversary and the newly published winning writers and illustrators in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40." Attending Volume 1 winners included Leonard Carpenter (author of eleven “Conan the Barbarian” novels), Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Bram Stoker Award for "The Thread That Binds the Bones" and Nebula Award for "Trophy Wives" and over 250 published short stories), and Dean Wesley Smith (multiple NYT bestselling author currently producing novels in four separate series including the superhero series starring detective Sky Tate for which he wrote the story "Lost Robot" in Writers of the Future Volume 35). All three are now prominent authors in the science-fiction and fantasy genre.
The first Writers of the Future awards event was held at Chasen's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, and featured a blue-ribbon panel of judges, including Algis Budrys, Dr. Gregory Benford, Fred Pohl, Robert Silverberg, and Roger Zelazny to present the awards.
Dean Wesley Smith was the first writer ever to receive a Writers of the Future award. Based on continued success, he became a Contest judge in 2010. In addition to his published article in Volume 40, "It Seemed Like Just Yesterday," Smith addressed the gala attendees, recounting highlights of his last 40 years. Smith stated, "The first year of the Writers of the Future contest changed just about everything for me.” He described authoring over 200 novels and hundreds of short stories, including a few dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, plus Spider-Man and X-Men novels.
Smith is considered one of the most prolific writers in modern fiction and a proud advocate of maintaining the tradition of creative science-fiction writing in the face of AI technology. He exemplifies the true mission of the Contest. Smith said, “L. Ron Hubbard had the foresight and the passion for nurturing new talent, and he created this incredibly successful platform with this Contest.”
L. Ron Hubbard created the Writers of the Future Writing Contest in 1983 to provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” Based on its success, its sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was created five years later to provide that same opportunity for aspiring artists.
The intensive mentoring process has proven very successful. The 559 winners and published finalists of the Writing Contest have published over 8,000 novels and short stories. In addition, they have produced 36 New York Times bestsellers, and their works have sold over 60 million copies.
The 406 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 700 book and magazine covers, 518 comic books, 131 major motion pictures, gaming feature films, TV shows, and Documentaries.
For more information on the Writers and Illustrators of the Future, go to www.writersofthefuture.com.
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Dean Wesley speaking at 2024 Awards Gala
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