Top Voices in Science Fiction and Fantasy Hail from the UK

The United Kingdom continues to prove itself a significant resource for the future of science fiction and fantasy storytelling and illustration as it racks up another two winners in the internationally acclaimed L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. “Two more winners from the UK have been published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39,” stated Joni Labaqui, the Contest’s Director, “making a total of ten winners in the last five years alone.”

Selected from a field of thousands of entrants from 180 countries, Volume 39 features two UK winners: Writers of the Future  winner Arthur Manners, from Cambridgeshire, with his dark fantasy story “The Withering Sky,” and Illustrators of the Future winner Chris Binns, originally of Reading and now residing in the US, with his illustration of “Piracy for Beginners.”

UK Fantasy author Neil Gaiman wrote that the Writers of the Future contest “has a record of nurturing and discovering writers who have gone on to make their mark in the SF field. Long may it continue!” While Dean of Canadian science fiction, Robert J. Sawyer, stated, “See the best culled for you, curated and selected in a single volume every year.”

Volume 39 eBook and digital audiobook is currently available via Amazon.co.uk now and will be available in stores throughout the UK on July 18 in paperback format.

Recent Contest winners from the UK  include:

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35 (Galaxy Press)

Writer winner David Cleden, from Fleet Hampshire, with his story “Dark Equations of the Heart.”

Illustrator winner Vytas Vasilauskas, from Coventry, with his art for “Dark Equations of the Heart.”

Writer winner Christopher Baker, from Ramsbury, with his story “An Itch.”

Illustrator winner Yingying Jiang, from Oxford, Oxfordshire, with her illustration of “Dirt Road Magic.”

Illustrator winner Sam Kemp, from Walsall, with his illustration of the story ” A Harvest of Astronauts.”

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36 (Galaxy Press)

Writer winner J. L. George, from Pontypool, with her story “Catching My Death.”

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 37 (Galaxy Press)

Illustrators of the Future Grand Prize winner Dan Watson, from Reading, with his fantastical art, “How to Steal the Plot Armor.”

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38 (Galaxy Press)

Writer winner Michael Panter, originally from the UK and now residing in  Sweden with his story “Lilt of a Lark.”

L. Ron Hubbard initiated 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 547 past winners and published finalists of the Writing Contest have published over 2,000 novels and nearly 6,300 short stories. They have produced 36 New York Times bestsellers, and their works have sold over 60 million copies.

The 394 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 6,800 illustrations, 390 comic books, graced 700 books and albums with their art, and visually contributed to 68 TV shows and 40 major movies.

For more information about Writers and Illustrators of the Future, visit www.writersofthefuture.com.