Golden Pen and Golden Brush Winners Announced at 38th Annual Writers & Illustrators of the Future Gala

The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards Gala was held April 8 in the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.

38TH GRAND PRIZE GOLDEN BRUSH AWARD

  • Zaine Lodhi of Sarasota, Florida, for his illustration of “Agatha’s Monster”

38TH GRAND PRIZE PEN AWARD

  • Desmond Astaire of Illinois for his story “Gallows”

The grand prize winners were presented with an additional $5,000.

Two previous winners who had been unable to attend the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies delivered their acceptance speeches at this event, the Volume 36 winner of the Golden Pen award C. Winspear of Blacktown, NSW, Australia, and the Volume 37 Golden Brush award winner Dan Watson of Earley, Berkshire, England.

A huge statue of the mammoth that strides across the cover of Volume 38 greeted winners and guests as they walked the red carpet at the Taglyan.

Anyaugo Okorafor-Mbachu (left) with her mother Nnedi Okorafor (right)

Jesse L. Stevenson opened the April 8 event with a powerful rendition of “Men of Reason,” a poem by L. Ron Hubbard, followed by a special memorial tribute to the late David Farland/Wolverton, the previous Writers Contest Coordinating Judge. Fellow judges and long-time friends shared anecdotes and fond memories of Dave’s passion for the craft and his impact on their lives and the industry.

Jody Lynn Nye was introduced as the new Writers Contest Coordinating Judge, and Dean Wesley Smith as the new anthology editor.

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38 was released by John Goodwin, President of Galaxy Press. This is the final volume edited by David Farland. The cover art is by Bob Eggleton. In addition to stories from the 12 winners and one finalist, there are stories by L. Ron Hubbard, Frank Herbert, and David Farland. There are writing tips and advice for artists from Illustrators of the Future Coordinating Judge Echo Chernik, L. Ron Hubbard, Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Diane Dillon.

The article from Frank Herbert, “The Single Most Important Piece of Advice,” was the last article written by Frank for the Writers of the Future before he passed away. He was one of the early Contest judges.

Lieutenant General John F. Thompson of the Air Force and Space Force did the keynote speech. He spoke about the importance of science fiction to our future in space.

A visual presentation was shown of L. Ron Hubbard’s poem “Declaration of Peace.” It was written for the Battlefield Earth alum, and an appropriate message with the strife abroad.

Frank Frazetta, known as the “King of Illustration,” was judge for the illustrator contest since its beginning. A rare video was shown describing how he works and technique he used when painting “Man the Endangered” for Battlefield Earth, which was used for the cover the 21st Century Edition.

Celebrity presenters included Nancy Cartwright, Jade Pettyjohn, and Lee Purcell.

The gala was followed by a reception and large book signing of the newly released anthology for guests and attendees.

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38 releases in bookstores on June 28, 2022 and is available now on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

The Writers of the Future writing contest was initiated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 to provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.”

See a photo gallery from the event here.

[Based on a press release.]