Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press Present Annual Writers and Illustrators of the Future Gala

Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press will present The 35th Annual Writers of the Future and the 30th Annual Illustrators of the Future L. Ron Hubbard Gala Achievement Awards celebrating the winners of the Contests, honoring 12 writers and 12 illustrators from around the world for their excellence in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Black Tie Event, with celebrity award presenters, will be held at the Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue, the entrance for Valet Parking), Hollywood, CA 90038. Red Carpet Arrivals begin at 4:30 p.m. Emceed by Gunhild Jacobs, Executive Director of Author Services, Inc., the Invitation Only Event will be catered by Divine Catering. The Awards Banquet will start at 6:00 p.m. Members of the General Public can watch the Awards Show streaming live from 7:30–9:30 p.m. PST at www.writersofthefuture.com. A Book Signing and Reception with follow the Awards Show in the lobby of the Taglyan Complex.

Joni Labaqui, Director of the Contests for Author Services, Inc. said, “This year marks a historic milestone in our contests with simultaneous benchmark anniversaries, both the 35th Anniversary of our Writer’s Contest and the 30th Anniversary of our Illustrator’s Contest. On the evening April 5th Author Services, Inc. will present awards to 24 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Illustrators of the Future that have been chosen as winners of the 2018 contests adjudicated by world renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer and Illustrator Judges. Our theme for this year’s two-hour awards show is ‘Retro Robotics.'”

John Goodwin, President of Galaxy Press, said, “One Grand Prize Writer Winner and One Grand Prize Illustrator Winner will be selected from a field of 12 Quarterly Writer Winners and 12 Quarterly Illustrator Winners, respectively. Our contests promote the arts welcoming diversity, ethnicity, creativity and equality, with no age limits. The Awards Show and Banquet will be held in the Taglyan Complex’s Grand Ballroom, and will be followed by a Book Signing and Reception.”

Labaqui continued, “Our show will open with a Sci-Fi Stomp and Body Percussion Dance featuring a Robot from NASA’s Jet Propulsive Laboratory in Pasadena, CA and dancers from EM Cirque, a world renowned aerobatics and dance troupe.”

Goodwin added, “Bob Eggleton, a Founding Judge of the Illustrators of the Future Contest will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Ed Hulse, an award-winning author, journalist and historian, will serve as our Keynote Speaker. The Heinlein Society, named after the late Robert Anson Heinlein, an American Science Fiction author, aeronautical engineer and Naval Officer, often referred to as the ‘Dean of Science Fiction writers,’ will present Author Services, Inc. with a Special Recognition honoring the 35th Anniversary of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.”

Awards Show Celebrity and VIP Guests and Presenters will include:

• Sibongile Mlambo (“Dark/Web,” “MacGyver,” “Siren,” “Lost in Space,” “Teen Wolf,” “Black Sails”)
• Lee Purcell (Primetime Emmy Award Nominee, “Secret Sins of the Father,” “Long Road Home,” “J.L. Family Ranch,” “Kids Vs Monsters,” “Valley Girl”)
• Steven L. Sears (Co-Executive Producer, “Xena: Warrior Princess,” Executive Producer, “Sheena,” Producer, “Raven”)
• Sean Cameron Michael (“The Last Victims,” “Black Sails,” “The Mummy,” “MacGyver”)
• Hank Garrett (“Death Wish,” “The Amityville Horror,” “Serpico”)
• Phil Proctor (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Flightplan,” “Dr. Doolittle 2”)
• Judy Norton (“The Waltons,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Bluff,” “Nowhere To Hide”)
• Jim Meskimen (“Parks and Recreation,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” “S.W.A.T.,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “NCIS”)
• Taylor Meskimen (“Superstrata,” “The Hollywouldn’ts,” “Chastity Bites”)
• Edwin Gagiano (“Snake Park,” “Proper Manors,” “Broken Darkness,” and “Villa Rosa”)
• Kelton Jones (“Dry Blood,” “Townies,” “The Passion of the Christ”)
• Daniel Kotto (“Forever,” “Blood Orange”)
• Jesse Kove (“On Wings of Eagles,” “Show No Mercy,” “The Shadow”)
• Gino Montesinos (“NCIS,” “Adopted,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
• Jeffrey Patterson (“Another Day in Paradise,” “Finding Harmony”)
• Autumn and Paige Patterson (Twin Sisters, “Another Day in Paradise,” “Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink”)
• Brittany and Brianna Winner (Twin Sisters, national bestselling, multiple award-winning Science Fiction novelists, and Pinnacle award-winning teachers)
• Ed Hulse (Keynote Speaker and award-winning journalist and historian who specializes in documenting American popular culture of the late 19th and 20th Centuries)
• Bob Eggleton (Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, Hugo Award and Chesley Award-winning Artist; Founding Judge of the Illustrator’s Contest)
• Beatrice Kondo (Assistant Program Director for the Masters of Science in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University and on the Board of Directors of the Heinlein Society.)

Gunhild Jacobs, Executive Director for Author Services, Inc. will Emcee the event, and Joni Labaqui will present The Golden Pen Award and a $5,000 Grand Prize Check to the winner of the of the Writers of the Future Contest, and The Golden Quill Award and another $5,000 Grand Prize Check will be presented to the winner of the Illustrators Contest. John Goodwin will unveil the 35th edition of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35,” with a cover painted by internationally renowned artist, Bob Eggleton.

This year’s live awards show will be simultaneously broadcast to a worldwide audience via the Internet. Streaming will be live beginning at 7:30 p.m. PST and continue to 9:30 p.m. from www.writersofthefuture.com. The airing time of the broadcast will vary depending on the time zone viewers are residing in. Directly following the awards show the winning authors and illustrators will sign books at a reception to be held in the well-appointed lobby of the Taglyan Complex. This year’s contest winners will also have the opportunity to attend workshops held here in Los Angeles one week prior to the awards show to network with the renowned writer and illustrator judges of this year’s competitions to gain valuable feedback to help them advance their careers in their chosen fields of interest.

This Black Tie Event is by Invitation Only. Members of the General Public can watch the awards show streaming live from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. PST on Friday, April 5, 2019 at www.writersofthefuture.com. To view a B-roll link of this year’s show announcement, please visit: www.writersofthefuture.com.

The 12 Writer Winners of the 35th Annual Writer’s Contest include:

• Kyle Kirrin of Creede, CO (First Quarter Winner)
• Preston Dennett of Reseda, CA (First Quarter Winner)
• Kai Wolden of Eden Prairie, MN (First Quarter Winner)
• David Cleden of Fleet, Hampshire, UK (Second Quarter Winner)
• Rustin Lovewell of Gaithersburg, MD (Second Quarter Winner)
• Carrie Callahan Bardstown, KY (Second Quarter Winner)
• Elise Stephens of Seattle, WA (Third Quarter Winner)
• Christopher Baker of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK (Third Quarter Winner)
• Mica Scott Kole of Westland, MI (Third Quarter Winner)
• Andrew Dykstal of Arlington, VA (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• Wulf Moon of Sequim, WA (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• John Haas Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Fourth Quarter Winner)

The 12 Illustrator Winners of the 30th Annual Illustrator’s Contest include:

• Emerson Rabbitt of Minneapolis, MN (First Quarter Winner)
• Vytautas V of Paris, France (First Quarter Winner)
• Yinying Jiang of Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK (First Quarter Winner)
• Alexander Gustafson of Essex Junction, VT (Second Quarter Winner)
• Christine Rhee of San Francisco, CA (Second Quarter Winner)
• Sam Kemp of Birmingham, West Midlands, England (Second Quarter Winner)
• Allen Morris of Cleveland, MS (Third Quarter Winner)
• Jennifer Ober of Atlanta, GA (Third Quarter Winner)
• Josh Pemberton of Seattle, WA (Third Quarter Winner)
• Qianjiao Ma of Dublin, CA (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• Alice Wang of Bellevue, WA (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• Aliya Chen of Fair Oaks, CA (Fourth Quarter Winner)

This year’s 23 Distinguished Writer Contest Judges include:

• Kevin J. Anderson (An international bestselling author of more than 100 books, as well as a comic writer, anthology editor, record and film producer. Co-Author of the “Dune” prequels.)
• Doug Beason (Has written 14 high-tech novels. He also served in the President’s Science Office in Washington, D.C.)
• Gregory Benford (Has won four Hugo Awards and is an astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physic and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.)
• Orson Scott Card (New York Times bestselling author of several novels including “Enders Game ” which was made into a feature film in 2013.)
• David Farland (Coordinating Judge for the Writers; Editor of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 35;” Grand Prize Winner of Writers of the Future Volume Three; a New York Times bestselling author as David Farland (his pen name for fantasy stories) and as David Wolverton (his real name that he uses for science fiction stories.)
• Eric Flint (A former contest winner from 1993, Flint has written over 40 novels, both solo and in collaboration and is Founder and Editor of Jim Baen’s “Universe.”)
• Brian Herbert (Co-Author of the “Dune” prequels.)
• Nina Kiriki Hoffman (A 1985 contest winner, Hoffman is the winner of the Nebula and Bram Stoker)
• Nancy Kress (Multiple award-winning author of science fiction and fantasy, two Hugo, six Nebula, one Campbell and one Sturgeon awards.)
• Katherine Kurtz (Author of the “Deryni” series, “Templar” series and “Adept” series.)

This year’s 23 Distinguished Writer Contest Judges include:

• Todd McCaffrey (Best known for continuing the “Dragonriders of Pern” series in collaboration with his mother Anne McCaffrey.)
• Rebecca Moesta (Co-Author of The New York Times bestselling “Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights” series as well as the “Star Challengers” books.)
• Larry Niven (Winner of every major Science Fiction award. The legendary creator of “Ringworld” and the “Known Space” series.)
• Jody Lynn Nye (Authored or co-authored over 50 books and over 150 short stories and she has written everything from science fiction, fantasy, military to humor.)
• Nnedi Okorafor (Hugo and Nebula Award Winner, “The Binti Trilogy,” Publisher’s Weekly Best Book for Fall 2013, “Kabu Kabu,” Amazon.com Best Book of the Year, “Akata Witch,” Comics: “Black Panther: Long Live The King” (Marvel), “Shuri” (Marvel), “Wakanda Forever” (Marvel)
• Timothy Thomas “Tim” Powers (American Science Fiction and Fantasy author. He has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels “Last Call” and “Declare.” His 1988 novel, “On Stranger Tides” served as the inspiration for the “Monkey Island” franchise of video games and was optioned for adaptation into the four “Pirates of the Caribbean” films.)
• Mike Resnick (The genre’s all-time leading award-winner for short fiction, authoring 62 novels, over 250 short stories and editing more than 40 anthologies.)
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch (New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and editor.)
• Brandon Sanderson (Best known for the Cosmere universe, in which most of his fantasy novels are set. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series “The Wheel of Time.”)
• Robert J. Sawyer (Dean of Canadian Science Fiction. Sawyer has won every major Science Fiction award. One of his novellas was the basis for the ABC-TV series, “Flash Forward.”)
• Robert Silverberg (He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Hall of Fame, and Grand Master of Science Fiction.)
• Dean Wesley Smith (He is known primarily for his “Star Trek” novels, film novelizations, and other novels of licensed properties such as “Smallville,” “Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Aliens,” “Roswell,” “Men in Black” and “Quantum Leap.”)
• Sean Williams (Multiple New York Times bestselling author from Australia.)

This year’s 18 Distinguished Illustrator Judges include:

• Echo Chernik (Illustrator Contest Coordinating Judge) (Award-Winning Illustrator for advertising, packaging and publishing, whose work has been featured in many commercial design magazine articles. Her artwork has also been displayed in many galleries.)
• Lazarus Chernik (An experienced Creative Director, Brand Manager, and award-winning Designer.)
• Ciruelo (Argentine Fantasy Artist known for the “Eragon Coloring Book.”)
• Vincent Di Fate (American artist specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy and realistic space art illustration.)
• Diane Dillon (Two-time Caldecott Award-winning artist.)
• Dave Dorman (A Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy illustrator best known for his “Star Wars” artwork.)
• Bob Eggleton (This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner. Founding Judge of the Illustrators of the Future Contest. Winner of seven Hugo Awards and 11 Chesley Awards. His art can be seen on the covers of magazines, professional publications and books in the world of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror around the world. He is also a conceptual illustrator for movies and thrill rides.)
• Larry Elmore (Well known as a fantasy artist for “Dungeons & Dragons.” He worked on “Dragonlance” amongst dozens of magazines and book covers. Cover Designer of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 33.”)
• Laura Freas Beraha (She was married to the famous artist, Frank Kelly Freas. She won a Chelsey Award for illustration.)
• Val Lakey Lindahn (Illustrator Judge since the inception of the contest. Lindahn was nominated twice for the Hugo, Chesley, Frank R. Paul and Jack Gone Awards.)
• Stephan Martiniere (Has received a Gold Award from Spectrum in 2004 and Thea Award in 2001 for his work on Paramount’s “Super Saturator” theme park ride. He was personally nominated for an Emmy Awardâ in 1994 for directorial work on Family Channel’s “Madeleine” series.)
• Gary Meyer (Master of the College at the Pasadena ArtCenter College of Design.)
• Cliff Nielson (Best known for his work on “Star Wars,” “The X-Files” and “Chronicles of Narnia.”)
• Mike Perkins (Comic book artist best known for “Captain America,” “Ruse” and Stephen King‘s “The Stand.”)
• Sergey Poyarkov (A 1991 contest winner from the Ukraine, who has now become a contest judge and has gone on to a successful career as a fine artist with works displayed in exhibitions across Russia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA.)
• Rob Prior (Artist who paints with two hands, event paints two separate paintings at the same time. He has created comics, most notably “Spawn,” “Terminator,” “Deep Space 9” and “Heavy Metal.”)
• Shaun Tan (Australian artist, writer and filmmaker. Won an Academy Award for “The Lost Thing” in 2011.)
• Stephen Youll (Science Fiction and Fantasy artist)

About The Lifetime Achievement Award Winner:

Bob Eggleton was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1960 and became interested in Science Fiction art at an early age. Today he is a successful Science Fiction, Fantasy and landscape artist.

Winner of seven Hugo Awards and eleven Chesley Awards, his art can be seen on the covers of numerous magazines, professional publications and books in the world of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror across the world including several volumes of his own work. He has also worked as a conceptual illustrator for movies and thrill rides.

Of late, Eggleton has focused more on private commissions and self-commissioned work. He is an elected Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists and is a Fellow of the New England Science Fiction Association.

He has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 1988. Find out more at: www.bobeggleton.com.

About The Keynote Speaker:
Ed Hulse is an award-winning journalist and historian who specializes in documenting American popular culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His books include “Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders,” “The Blood ‘N’ Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction,” “The Films of Betty Grable and Frances Dee: A Film History.

As a journalist Ed Hulse covered the home video and consumer electronics industries for trade and consumer publications alike between 1980 and 2005. His columns, reviews and articles appeared in such outlets as Premiere Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Video Business, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and This Week In Consumer Electronics. Between 1986 and 1990 Hulse edited Video Review’s Previews, a nationally circulated magazine spotlighting current home video releases. During this same period, his entertainment-industry coverage was syndicated by the The Washington Post’s Writers Group. Between 2001 and 2007 he reviewed new releases, wrote feature articles and conducted celebrity interviews for the Video section of www.barnesandnoble.com.

As a film historian Hulse has written numerous books about vintage motion pictures and their stars. These include: The Films of Betty Grable, Zane Grey and the Movies, Frances Dee: A Film History, and Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders. His most recent book, Wage Slaves in the Dream Factory: Low-Budget Filmmaking During Hollywood’s Golden Age, will be published in September 2019. Between 2002 and 2016 Hulse edited and published Blood ‘n’ Thunder, an award-winning journal devoted to the study of adventure, mystery and melodrama in pop-culture media of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2018 Murania Press published the revised second edition of his Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction, which has been sold in 23 countries and is used as a text in nearly a dozen American universities.

About The Contests:
Following the 1982 release of his internationally acclaimed bestselling Science Fiction novel, “Battlefield Earth,” written in celebration of 50 years as a professional writer, L. Ron Hubbard created the Writers of the Future Contest (www.writersofthefuture.com) in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring writers of speculative fiction to get that much-needed break. Due to the success of the Writing Contest, the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest was created in 1988.

The annual Contests draw entrants from around the globe and are free to enter. Winners retain full rights to their work and each are given cash awards. Grand Prize Winners receive an additional $5,000. The Contest flies out all winners to Los Angeles for an expense-paid, weeklong workshop given by Contest judges and culminates in a Black Tie Gala Awards event.

In the 35 years of the Writers of the Future Contest, there have been 416 winners and 80 published finalists. The 416 past winners of the Writing Contest have published 1,150 novels and nearly 4,500 short stories. They have produced 32 New York Times bestsellers and their works have sold over 60 million copies.

In the 30 years of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, there have been 346 winners. The 346 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 6,000 illustrations, 360 comic books, graced 624 books and albums with their art and visually contributed to 68 television shows and 40 major movies.

The Writers of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious award of its kind and has now become the largest, most successful and demonstrably most influential vehicle for budding creative talent in the world of contemporary fiction. Since its inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 35 anthology volumes and awarded upwards of $1 million in cash prizes and royalties. For more information please visit www.writersofthefuture.com and www.galaxypress.com.