AUTHOR SERVICES, INC. AND GALAXY PRESS PRESENT THE 36th ANNUAL L. RON HUBBARD ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS  GALA CELEBRATING THE WINNERS OF THE WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS OF THE FUTURE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY CONTESTS

BLACK TIE ATTIRE
Friday, April 3, 2020
TAGLYAN COMPLEX
1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue), Hollywood, CA  90038
Valet Parking
Red Carpet Arrivals at 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.;
Banquet Starts at 5:30 p.m.; Awards Show Starts at 7:00 p.m.

           Hollywood, CA (March 7, 2020) – Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press will present The 36th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala celebrating the winners of the Writers and Illustrators Contests, honoring 12 writers and 12 illustrators from around the world for their excellence in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Who will win?  https://youtu.be/i0xUlwmy-SU

           The Black Tie Invitation Only Event, with celebrity award presenters, will be held on Friday, April 3, 2020 at the Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue, the entrance for Valet Parking), Hollywood, CA  90038.  Red Carpet Arrivals begin at 4:00 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 5:30 p.m.  Members of the General Public can watch the Awards Show streaming live from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. PST at http://www.writersofthefuture.com   A Book Signing and Reception will follow the Awards Show in the lobby of the Taglyan Complex.  Here’s what industry professionals have to say about the contests:  https://youtu.be/g-t7Em5iVNk

Joni Labaqui, Director of the Contests for Author Services, Inc. said, “This year marks the 36th Anniversary of our Writer’s Contest and the 31st Anniversary of our Illustrator’s Contest.  On the evening April 3rd Author Services, Inc., with the help of celebrity award presenters, will present awards to 24 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Illustrators of the Future that have been chosen as winners of the 2019 contests adjudicated by world renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer and Illustrator Judges.  Our motif for this year’s two-hour awards show is Classical Fantasy, a type of historical fantasy drawing on ancient Greek and Roman history and mythology, incorporating a Phoenix, a firebird popular mythic creature for fantasy, beautiful and filled with symbolism.  The Phoenix is a large bird, usually with red and gold feathers, which is associated with fire and regenerated itself by burning up into ash and being reborn from those ashes, symbolizing hope and rebirth.  This year’s anthology book cover artwork is designed by illustrator Echo Chernik, featuring a Phoenix.”

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 performance from singer/songwriter Michele Henderson, who hails from the Commonwealth of Dominica.  Goodwin added, “Tom Doherty, Chairman of Tom Doherty Associates publishing under the Tor, Forge, Tor.com, Starscape, Tor Teen imprints, will serve as this year’s Keynote Speaker.”

Tom Doherty said, “I am planning to speak of my love of reading Fantasy since I was a kid, and its growth and change over the past 60 odd years, perhaps starting back in 1957, when I started as a young salesman.  One day Ian Ballantine, (of the groundbreaking husband-and-wife publishing team of Ian and Betty Ballantine), took me to lunch and spoke to me of his and Betty’s plans to start a Fantasy line, which I would become a sales manager of, and be part of launching one of the first Fantasy mega-bestsellers, Lord of the Rings.”

           Celebrities who will be in attendance at the event include:  Marisol Nichols (“Riverdale,” “GCB,” “24”); Steven L. Sears (Co-Executive Producer, “Xena: Warrior Princess,” Executive Producer, “Sheena,” Producer, “Raven”); Sibongile Mlambo (“Dark/Web,” “MacGyver,” “Siren,” “Lost in Space,” “Teen Wolf,” “Black Sails”); Dennys Ilic (Photographer, “Stark Trek: Discovery,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “Frontier”); Jaime Aymerich (“Betty en NY,” “The Last Ship,” “Bosch,” “Weeds”); Cheyanna Lavon Zubas (“Guardians of the Galaxy:  Part 2.” “The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay – Part 2”); Hubert Laws (Grammy Award-nominated renowned flutist); The Winner Twins (Brittany and Brianna) (Identical Twin Science Fiction authors best knows for The Stand Series); Lauren Compton (“Clown Town,” “Death House,” “Killer Camera Monsters”); Erica Howard (Costume Designer, “First Dog,” Wardrobe Stylist “America’s Next Top Model”); Jamie Bernadette (“NCIS:  New Orleans,” “The 6th Friend”); and Hank Garrett (“Death Wish,” “The Amityville Horror,” “Serpico”).

           Special Guests at this year’s Gala will include Brittany Jackson, the 2007 Grand Prize Illustrator Winner and Cassandre Bolan, a 2014 Illustrator Winner.  The event will also feature an In Memoriam segment in honor of Mike Resnick, a 2017 Lifetime Achievement Recipient and a longtime contest judge.

           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 Brush Award and another $5,000 Grand Prize Check will be presented to the winner of the Illustrators Contest. John Goodwin will unveil the 36th edition of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36,” with a cover painted by internationally renowned artist, Echo Chernik.

This year’s live awards show will be simultaneously broadcast to a worldwide audience via the Internet streaming live from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. PST 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.

For more information, on the Contests, please visit the website, www.writersofthefuture.com
Continue the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/WritersAndIllustratorsOfTheFuture and on Twitter and Instagram @WOTFContest.  #WOTF36

The 12 Writer Winners of the Writer’s Contest include:

• Andy Dibble of Madison, WI (First Quarter Winner, First Place) “A Word That Means Everything”
• F.J. Bergmann of Madison, WI (First Quarter Winner, Second Place) “A Prize in Every Box”
• Sonny Zae of Plano, TX (First Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Automated Everyman Migrant Theater”
• Katie Livingston of Lawton, OK (Second Quarter Winner, First Place) “Educational Tapes”
• Zach Be of Wheaton, MD (Second Quarter Winner, Second Place) “As Able the Air”
• Tim Boiteau of Bloomfield, MI (Second Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Molting Season”
• J.L. George of Pontypool, Torfaen, UK (Third Quarter Winner, First Place) “Catching My Death”
• Michael Gardner of Amaroo, ACT, Australia (Third Quarter Winner, Second Place) “Foundations”
• Storm Humbert of Westland, MI (Third Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Stolen Sky”
• C. Winspear of Blacktown, NSW, Australia (Fourth Quarter Winner, First Place) “The Trade”
• David A. Elsensohn of Los Angeles, CA (Fourth Quarter Winner, Second Place) “Trading Ghosts”
• Leah Ning of Herndon, VA (Fourth Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Yellow and Pink”
  

The 12 Illustrator Winners of the Illustrator’s Contest include:

• Brock Aguirre of Sammamish, WA (First Quarter Winner)
• Daniel Bitton of Hollywood, FL (First Quarter Winner)
• Ben Hill of Mims, FL (First Quarter Winner)
• Phoebe Rothfeld of Chico, CA (Second Quarter Winner)
• John Dale Javier of La Plata, MD (Second Quarter Winner)
• Heather A. Laurence of Sault Sainte Marie, MI (Second Quarter Winner)
• Mason Matak of Tehran, Iran (Third Quarter Winner)
• Irmak (Max) Çavun of Bursa, Turkey (Third Quarter Winner)
• Aidin Andrews of Bellingham, WA (Third Quarter Winner)
• Kaitlyn Goldberg of Grand Rapids, MI (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• Arthur Bowling of Columbia, MD (Fourth Quarter Winner)
• Anh Le originally of Ho ChiMinh City, Vietnam and now of Maryville, MO (Fourth Quarter Winner)
  

The 23 Distinguished Writer Contest Judges included:

• 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.)
• Dr. Doug Beason (Has written 14 high-tech novels.  He also served in the President’s Science Office in Washington, D.C.)
• Dr. Gregory Benford (Has won four Hugo Awards and is an astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics 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 Awards.)
• 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.)
• 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.)
• Dr. 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.”)
• Dr. 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.”)
• Dr. Sean Williams (Multiple New York Times bestselling author from Australia.)
  

The 20 Distinguished Illustrator Judges included:

• 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.)
• Dan Dos Santos (American speculative fiction artist whose work appeared on book covers by publishers Tor, Bantam, Pyr and more.  He was awarded the Jack Gaughen Award and Chesley Award, and has been nominated for seven Hugo Awards.)
• 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.)
• Craig Elliott (Illustrator, Visual Development Artist and Layout Artist who works in the animation industry. He has worked on films for Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon and Fox Animation.  He exhibits his fine art illustrations and paintings at both Wondercon and Comic-Con International.  Credits include:  “Hercules,” “Mulan,” “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “Father of the Pride,” “Enchanted,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “The Penguins of Madagascar,” “Puss in Boots” and “The Lorax.”)
• 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.”)
• Dr. Laura Freas Beraha (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 Gaughan 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 Keynote Speaker:
Tom Doherty, Chairman of Tom Doherty Associates publishing under the Tor, Forge, Tor.com, Starscape, Tor Teen imprints, will serve as this year’s Keynote Speaker.  Tom Doherty has been in publishing for over 60 years. He started as a salesman for Select Magazines and quickly moved to Pocket Books, where he rose to be Division Sales Manager, then National Sales Manager at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books.

In 1970 he became Publisher of Grosset & Dunlap paperbacks.  He became both Publisher and General Manager of their Ace and Tempo divisions before founding his own company, Tom Doherty Associates in 1980, and co-founding Baen Books in 1983.

Tor has been voted “Best Publisher” by the Locus poll for the last 32 consecutive years.  Doherty has received numerous awards, including the Silver Bullet Award and the inaugural Legend Award, from the International Thriller Writers; the Solstice, awarded by SFWA, and the Skylark, awarded by NESFA for outstanding contributions to the field of science fiction; a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2005 World Fantasy Convention; the Raymond Z. Gallun Award for outstanding contribution to the genre of science fiction; the L. Ron Hubbard Lifetime Achievement Award; the Lariat Award from the Western Writers of America; the inaugural “Harris Collection Literary Award,” commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Brown University Library; and many more.  He was also honored with a proclamation from the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the United States House of Representatives, for outstanding leadership in enhancing and providing literacy programs throughout the nation.

About Singer/Songwriter Michele Henderson:
           Michele Henderson hails from the Commonwealth of Dominica and was born into a musical family.  Her father Lambert played the guitar and her mother Marguerite Rose nurtured her singing and songwriting skills.  It didn’t hurt that her extended ‘family’ was the village of Grand Bay famously known as the cultural capital of her island home, Dominica.

Henderson has shared billing with international stars like Green Day and The Foo Fighters at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, headlined the Jazz Artists on the Green and Jazz on the Hill festivals in Trinidad and Virgin Gorda respectively and contributed to charity worldwide by performing at non-profit, fund raising events in London, New York and Hollywood.  She has shared the stage with a wide range of artists including Taylor Dayne, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Mark Isham and Doug E. Fresh.

Henderson has recorded six albums and one DVD to date, the latest project being Home (Chez Moi).   In 2012 she formed part of a delegation of Caribbean artists who performed at the Grosvenor House during the Olympics.  In 2014 she penned what is now the official CARICOM regional anthem, edging out 68 other competitors with her winning entry “Celebrating CARICOM.”  She was awarded the Golden Drum Award for 2018, the highest cultural award on the island of Dominica.  In 2019 and 2020, she continues to perform around the world lending her talents to fundraising for various humanitarian projects.

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 36 years of the Writers of the Future Contest, there have been 428 winners and 80 published finalists.  The 428 past winners of the Writing Contest have published 1,150 novels and nearly 4,500 short stories.  They have produced 33 New York Times bestsellers and their works have sold over 60 million copies.

In the 31 years of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, there have been 358 winners.  The 358 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 36 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

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Event Calendar Listing

WHO & WHAT:
The 36th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Gala Achievement Awards celebrating the winners of the Writers and Illustrators Contests, honoring 12 writers and 12 illustrators from around the world for their excellence in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Red Carpet Arrivals are from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.  Emceed by Gunhild Jacobs, Executive Director of Author Services, Inc., the event will be catered by Divine Catering.  The Awards Show Banquet is from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.  Members of the General Public can watch the Awards Show streaming live from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. PST at www.writersofthefuture.com  A Book Signing and Reception will follow the Awards Show in the lobby of the Taglyan Complex.