Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast Named Finalist in Podcast Awards: The People’s Choice

The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast, launched in 2019, has been named a Finalist in three categories—Arts, Education, and Storyteller/Drama—by the Podcast Awards: The People’s Choice, organizers announced this week. With 340 episodes and over 65 million downloads across 110 countries, the podcast is among 1,200 shows competing in 30 categories, with 5 million listeners placing over 20.2 million votes.

The podcast provides aspiring writers and artists with practical skills, business insights, and storytelling techniques through interviews with Contest judges, winners, and industry professionals. It draws inspiration from the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests, founded in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard to support emerging talent in science fiction and fantasy. Each episode features guests sharing their journeys to success, offering relatable and inspiring stories for novices.

Todd Cochrane, CEO of Podcast Connect, the awards’ organizer, stated in his announcement, “Making the slate is an outstanding achievement.” Final judging by 20,000 select listeners and 500 industry professionals is underway, with winners to be announced on International Podcast Day, Sept. 30.

For over four decades, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests have nurtured nearly 1,000 winners from over 175 countries, fulfilling Hubbard’s mission to give new talent “a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” Podcast guests include industry leaders like Kevin J. Anderson (Clockwork Destiny), Edward Ashton (Mickey 7), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Echo Chernik (Art Nouveau artist), Tom Doherty (Tor publisher), Bob Eggleton (11-time Chesley Award winner), Larry Elmore (Dragonlance artist), Brian Herbert (Dreamer of Dune), David Howard (Galaxy Quest), Hugh Howey (Silo), Jonathan Maberry (The Joe Ledger Series), Craig Martelle (Battleship Leviathan), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Nnedi Okorafor (Binti), Tim Powers (On Stranger Tides), Rob Prior (Spawn and Heavy Metal artist), A.G. Riddle (Antarctica Station), Robert J. Sawyer (The Downloaded), Dean Wesley Smith (Seeders Universe), Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity), Toni Weisskopf (Baen Books publisher), and Tom Wood (fantasy artist).

The podcast is available at www.writersofthefuture.com/podcast and on all major platforms. For more information on the Contests, including history, judges, and entry details, visit www.writersofthefuture.com, which also provides access to the Forum, blog, and online workshop.