THE 38th 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 8, 2022
TAGLYAN COMPLEX
1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue),
Hollywood, CA 90038
Valet Parking
Red Carpet Arrivals: 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Banquet: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Awards Show: 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Book Signing & Reception: 9:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Hollywood, CA (March 30, 2022) – Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press will present The 38th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala celebrating the winners of the Writers and Illustrators Contests, honoring 13 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/SNN9sOW62w0
The Black Tie Invitation Only Event, with celebrities in attendance and renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy Award Presenters, will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022 at the Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue, the entrance for Valet Parking), Hollywood, CA 90038.
Red Carpet Arrivals begin at 3:30 p.m. Emceed by Gunhild Jacobs, Executive Director of Author Services, Inc., the event will be catered by Divine Catering. The Awards Banquet will start at 5:00 p.m. Members of the General Public can watch the Awards Show streaming live from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. PDT at http://www.writersofthefuture.
Joni Labaqui, Director of the Contests for Author Services, Inc. said, “This year the theme for our awards show represents a dichotomy of pre-historical and futuristic worlds merged by magic. It is a fusion of pre-historic mammoth with an alien robot. The cover artwork for Volume 38, ‘The Mammoth Leaders,’ was created by Illustrators of the Future Contest Judge, Bob Eggleton, dedicated to our late Book Editor and Writers of the Future Contest Judge, David Farland, who wrote the story, ‘A Word of Power,’ inspired by the cover design. On the evening of April 8, 2022 we will present awards to 25 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Illustrators of the Future that have been chosen as winners of the 2022 contests adjudicated by world renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer and Illustrator Judges. At the same time, we will honor seven additional 2020 and 2021 contest winners who were unable to attend the Gala last year, due to the pandemic.”
Celebrities who will be attending the event include: Nancy Cartwright (Primetime Emmy Award-winner (The voice of Bart Simpson on “The Simpsons;” The Voice of Chuckie on “Rugrats”); Timothy Woodward Jr. (Daytime Emmy Award-winning director, “Studio City,” “Hollywood East,” “Hickok”); Steven L. Sears (Writer/Producer, “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Swamp Thing,” “A-Team,” “Stalag-X”); Kate Linder (“The Young and the Restless.” “Mother’s Day,” “Miss Meadows,” “Hysteria”); Lee Purcell (Primetime Emmy Award Nominee, “Secret Sins of the Father,” “Long Road Home,” “Valley Girl,” “JL Ranch”); Jade Pettyjohn (“Big Sky,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Deadwood: The Movie,” “School of Rock,” “Destroyer”); Natalie Burn (“The Expendables 3,” “Awaken,” “Fortress”); Neil Kaplan (“Tranformers: Robots in Disguise,” “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”); Cheyanna Zubas (“Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2,” “True Memoirs of an International Assassin”); Jeff Pomerantz (“Magnum P.I.,” “Hawaii 5-O,” “One Life to Live”); Winner Twins: Brittany and Brianna (SciFi Authors, “The Strand”); Jim Meskimen (“Apollo 13,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”); and Tamra Meskimen (“Happy Together,” “Jane The Virgin”).
John Goodwin, President of Galaxy Press, said, “One Grand Prize Writer Winner and One Grand Prize Illustrator Winner will be selected for Volume 38 published in 2022. The Grand Prize winners will be selected from a field of collectively 12 Quarterly Writer Winners and 12 Quarterly Illustrator Winners. In addition, we will honor one Finalist Writer. 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.”
Goodwin continued, “Our show will open with a performance by accomplished singer and songwriter, Jesse L. Stevenson, who will perform the song, “Men of Reason,” with music written by Golden Era Musicians and lyrics written by the late
L. Ron Hubbard, followed by an In Memoriam Tribute to David Farland, a beloved longtime Writer Contest Judge and Book Editor who passed away suddenly this year. Then we will hear a message from the late Frank Frazetta, a legendary Fantasy Artist. Our Keynote Speaker will be John F. “J.T.” Thompson, recently retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General and former Commander of the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.”
The late New York Times bestselling author David Farland was the Coordinating Judge and Editor for the Writers Contest 10 years. Before becoming a judge for the Writers of the Future Contest, David Farland was the Grand Prize Winner of Writers of the Future Volume Three in 1987. David Farland was his pen name for fantasy stories. He used his real name, David Wolverton for his science fiction stories.
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 for 2022, and The Golden Brush Award and another $5,000 Grand Prize Check will be presented to the winner of the Illustrators Contest for 2022. John Goodwin will unveil “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38,” 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 live from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. PDT 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/
The 12 Writer 2022 Winners of the Writer’s Contest and One Finalist include:
- Mike Jack Stoumbos of Seattle, WV (First Quarter Winner, First Place) “The Squid is My Brother”
- Brittany Rainsdon of Blackford, IN (First Quarter Winner, Second Place) “The Last Dying Season” who won’t be in attendance.
- J.A. Becker of Sydney, Australia (First Quarter Winner, Third Place) “For the Federation”
- M. Elizabeth Ticknor of Monroe, MI (Second Quarter Winner, First Place) “The Phantom Carnival”
- John Coming of Columbus, OH (Second Quarter Winner, Second Place) “The Island on the Lake”
- Azure Arthur of Dallas, TX (Second Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Agatha’s Monster”
- Lazarus Black of Bellingham, WA (Third Quarter Winner, First Place) “Psychic Poker”
- Em Dupre of Naples, FL (Third Quarter Winner, Second Place) “The Greater Good”
- NV Haskell of Florence, KY (Third Quarter Winner, Third Place) “The Mystical Farrago”
- Desmond Astaire of Marquette Heights, IL (Fourth Quarter Winner, First Place) “Gallows”
- Z.T. Bright of North Salt Lake, UT (Fourth Quarter Winner, Second Place) “The Magic Book”
- Michael Panter of Stockholm, Sweden (Fourth Quarter Winner, Third Place) “Lilt of a Lark”
- Finalist Rebecca E. Treasure of San Antonio, TX, “Tsuu, Tsuu, Kasva Suuremasse” will also be honored.
The 12 Illustrator 2022 Winners of the Illustrator’s Contest include:
- Majid Saberinejad of Marburg, Germany (First Quarter Winner) who won’t be in attendance.
- Natalia Salvador Cabrerizo of Granada, Spain (First Quarter Winner)
- Jerome Tieh of Baltimore, MD (First Quarter Winner)
- Arthur Doweyko of Vero Beach, FL (Second Quarter Winner)
- Zaine Lodhi of Lakewood Ranch, FL (Second Quarter Winner)
- Xiaomeng Zhang of San Francisco, CA (Second Quarter Winner)
- Nick Jizba of Omaha, NE (Third Quarter Winner)
- Annalee Wu of Stevenson, MD (Third Quarter Winner)
- Ari Zaritsky of Buffalo Grove, IL (Fourth Quarter Winner)
- James Zaccaria of Woburn, MA (Fourth Quarter Winner)
- Tenzin Rangdol of Silver Spring, MD (originally from Tibet (Fourth Quarter Winner)
Additional 2021 and 2020 Writers and Illustrators who will be Honored include:
- Ryan Cole of Glen Allen, VA (2021 Fourth Quarter Winner, Second Place) for his story “Hemingway.”
- K.D. Julicher of Fernly, NV (2021 First Quarter Winner, Third Place) for her story, “The Redemption of Brother Adalum.”
- Michael Gardner of Amaroo, ACT, Australia (2020 Third Quarter Winner, Second Place) for his story, “Foundations.”
- J.L. George of Pontypool, Torfaen, UK (2020 Third Quarter Winner, First Place) for her story, “Catching My Death.”
- C. Winspear of Blacktown, NSW, Australia (2020 Grand Prize Golden Pen Award Winner and 2020 Fourth Quarter Winner, First Place for his story, “The Trade.”
- Dan Watson of Earley, Reading, Berkshire, UK (2021 Third Quarter Illustrator Winner)
- Jeff Weiner of Las Vegas, NV (2021 Third Quarter Illustrator 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. Francis Lawrence was just announced to direct “Stalag-X” for New Republic Pictures, which was written by Kevin J. Anderson and Steven L. Sears.)
- 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) who will not be in attendance.
- David Farland (Coordinating Judge for the Writers Contest and Editor of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 38.” Grand Prize Winner of Writers of the Future Volume Three in 1987. David Farland was his pen name for fantasy stories. He used his real name, David Wolverton for his science fiction stories. David Farland passed away this year, and this year’s awards show is dedicated to his memory.
- 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”) who will not be in attendance.
- Brian Herbert (Co-Author of the “Dune” prequels) who will not be in attendance.
- 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) who will not be in attendance.
- Katherine Kurtz (Author of the “Deryni” series, “Templar” series and “Adept” series) who will not be in attendance.
- 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.) Jody Lynn Nye will now become the Coordinating Judge for the Writers of the Future Contest, given the recent passing of David Farland, who held the post until his death.
- 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.)
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch (New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and editor) who won’t be in attendance.
- 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”) who won’t be in attendance.
- 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) who will not be in attendance.
- 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.”) Dean Wesley Smith will now become the Editor of “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future,” given the recent passing of David Farland, who held the post until his death.
- S.M. Stirling (Drake series, Nantucket series and Emberverse series.)
- Dr. Sean Williams (Multiple New York Times bestselling author from Australia) who won’t be in attendance.
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.) This year he was a Third Quarter, First Place Quarterly Writer Winner under the Pen Name, Lazarus Black.
- Ciruelo (Argentine Fantasy Artist known for the “Eragon Coloring Book”) who will not be in attendance.
- Vincent Di Fate (American artist specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy and realistic space art illustration) who will not be in attendance.
- Diane Dillon (Two-time Caldecott Award-winning artist) who will not be in attendance.
- Bob Eggleton (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.) Bob Eggleton painted this year’s cover art, titled “The Mammouth Leaders.” He will not be in attendance.
- 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.”) He will not be in attendance.
- 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.)
- Brittany Jackson (Former Grand Prize winner of the Illustrators of the Future Contest in 2008. She illustrated the New York Times bestselling picture books, “Parker Looks Up,” about America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, and LeBron James’s “We Are Family.” She will not be in attendance.
- 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.) He will not be in attendance.
- Mike Perkins (Comic book artist best known for “Captain America,” “Ruse” and Stephen King’s “The Stand.”) He will not be in attendance.
- 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.) He will not be in attendance.
- 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.”)
- Irvin Rodriguez (Former Grand Prize winner in the Illustrators of the Future Contest in 2011. He works in the film, comic book, publishing, and video game industry for clients like Naughty Dog, Lucasfilm, DC Comics, and Magic the Gathering.) He will not be in attendance.
- 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.)
- Shaun Tan (Australian artist, writer and filmmaker. Won an Academy Award for “The Lost Thing” in 2011.) He will not be in attendance.
- Stephen Youll (Science Fiction and Fantasy artist.) He will not be in attendance.
About The Keynote Speaker:
John F. “J.T.” Thompson, recently retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General and former Commander of the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, where he was responsible for approximately 6,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $9 billion.
Thompson said, “Science Fiction writers and illustrators of the future are really writers and illustrators of the past and present, who see into the future and want to expose the rest of us to it. They’ve put the hard work, day in and day out, over and over, honing their skills and perfecting their artworks. Through this forum, they’re taking the critical – and bold – step of putting it out there for the world to review and judge, exposing their personal art to criticism or praise – perhaps a bit of both – and making us the better for it. What an incredible group of intrepid artists.”
As the Department of the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, Lieutenant General Thompson managed the research, design, development, acquisition, and sustainment of satellites and the associated command and control systems. His portfolio included military satellite communication, missile warning, navigation and timing, space-based weather, space launch and test ranges, certification for launch, space superiority, responsive space, and other emerging evolutionary space programs.
Thompson entered the Air Force in 1984 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, and retired, after 36 years of active service, in August 2021. During his career, he served in a variety of scientific, acquisition, and logistics-oriented capacities, including staff assignments at Air Force Systems Command, Air Force Material Command, and in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Acquisition.
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 38 years of the Writers of the Future Contest, there have been 452 winners and 83 published finalists. The past winners of the Writing Contest have published 1,800 novels and nearly 6,200 short stories. They have produced 33 New York Times bestsellers and their works have sold over 60 million copies.
In the 33 years of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, there have been 382 winners. The 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 speculative fiction. Since its inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 38 anthology volumes (with this event) and awarded upwards of $1 million in cash prizes and royalties. For more information please visit www.writersofthefuture.com and www.galaxypress.com
Event Calendar Listing
WHO & WHAT:
The 38th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Gala Achievement Awards celebrating the winners of the Writers and Illustrators Contests, honoring 13 writers and 12 illustrators from around the world for their excellence in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy. In addition seven Writer and Illustrator winners from 2021 and 2020 will be honored, as they weren’t able to attend last year’s award ceremony, due to the pandemic.
WHERE, WHEN & HOW:
Friday, April 8, 2022. This Black event, with celebrity award presenters, is By Invitation Only, and will be held at the Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine Street (at Lexington Avenue), Hollywood, CA 90038. The motif for this year’s two-and-half hour awards show represents a dichotomy of pre-historical and futuristic worlds merged by magic. It is a fusion of pre-historic mammoth with an alien robot.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKXPkpnjqcHTZVqBqkFTjGmpQsCClbgQnNjrrStXgTrxbtLMNFdhjwcSTrfPwpMlTbG?projector=1
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