1997 • Volume 13

After two years at the Johnson Space Center, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future event moved to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The winners, judges, and special guests were treated to a breathtaking behind-the-scenes tour of the Kennedy Space Center, the shuttle launch pads, rocket garden, Vehicle Assembly Building, the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, and then the unforgettable experience of witnessing a nighttime launch of the space shuttle Atlantis (flight STS-86), on a mission to the Mir space station.

Two days later, on Saturday, September 27, 1997, the Awards ceremony took place at the Kennedy Space Center. Astronaut Norman Thagard participated as guest speaker and presenter. Legendary artist Frank Frazetta (who painted the cover for that year’s WotF anthology) received the L. Ron Hubbard Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts.