Writers of the Future Contest

[PixelFish]

Just thought I'd mention that the quarterly and yearly deadline for this year's Writers of the Future contest is coming up. I'm going to be sending a story off (if I can finish polishing it by then) and hopefully some of you might find it worthwhile too.

As far as I know there is no entry fee, it's an entirely reputable contest, and it's judged by professional SF/F authors. Both science fiction and fantasy are accepted up to about 17,000 words, and if you win, they often put your story in an anthology and you get a cool credit to wave around when sending stories off. :)

Anyway, here's a link to the site--you can find the official rules there.

www.writersofthefuture.com/ (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/)

[HConn]

I'm a little put off by the L. Ron Hubbard/Scientology connection.

[macalicious731]

Hmm... interesting, I got an invitation for that through my email, except it came as a scholarship award...

[HollyB]

I've considered entering this contest, with mixed replies about story contests in general (check out the thread in the Short Fiction board, "Short Story Contests"). Of all the short story contests, Writers of the Future seems to be one of the best.

(I don't know if the contest relates to Scientology. It doesn't appear so from the web site.)

edited because I couldn't get the darn link to work!

[ChunkyC]

Holly - L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of Scientology and his name is all over that site.

[PixelFish]

I was initially put off by it too, but I understand that it's quite reputable. Really, really. (And at least one of the judges is Mormon--that would be Orson Scott Card--and I honestly don't see OSC schilling for the Scientologists.) I entered the first time when I was eighteen, and nobody even remotely connected with Scientology tried contacting me or recruiting me, although I did get a very nice rejection letter putting me in the top 7% of all entrants, and urging me to send again. (A feat I have put off all this time.)

In case, you are interested, past winners have included Dave Wolverton (who went on to write The Courtship of Princess Leia), Karawynn Long, Martha Soukup, M. Shayne Bell, and Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury. The prize money is respectable, there's no hidden catches as far as I know, and it really is a Big Deal, if your work gets chosen.

[HollyB]

Chunky,

Holly - L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of Scientology and his name is all over that site.

Yes, L. Ron Hubbard's name is all over the site, but Scientology isn't.

[ChunkyC]

Thanks for the info, Pixel. Holly, before knowing what Pixel just shared, seeing Hubbard's name there gave me pause, is all. With a recommendation like Pixel's, I'd be much more inclined to check it out.

[DaveKuzminski]

It is one of the few legitimate contests that even I would enter.

[Jamesaritchie]

L. Ron Hubbard was also one of the best known science fiction writers, which is why his name is all over the site. It has nothing whatsoever to do with scientology, and some of today's bestselling SF writers emerged from this contest.

Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven are usually on the judging panel, I believe, as well as other famous SF writers.

This is not only one of the few legitimate contests out there, it's far and away the best of the lot, and there is no entry fee.

SF is an awfully tough field to break into these days, and this contest can cut years off the effort. If you're good enough to win in one of the categories. Or even if you impress the judges enough.

[ChunkyC]

Thanks for that additional background, James. :thumbs

I've read a few of Hubbard's books and enjoyed them, Battlefield Earth for one. (Dear John T. What were you THINKING when you made that horrible movie?).

I've also read enough and seen enough about Scientology to make me leery whenever I see Hubbard's name on something other than a science fiction novel. (I know, some of the money from the novels I bought may have ended up in the Scientology coffers, but I didn't know that at the time and it was also before the weirdness became widely known).

Anyway, I'm grateful to you all for this info about the contest.

[Kempo Kid]

I was a quarter finalist once, and a semifinalist twice, but I never quite got into the money. :shrug

But they don't use it as a platform for Scientology, or at least they didn't when I was entering. I started to read Hubbard's book on Dianetics once and gave up. It isn't his best bit of writing.

And he has written good stuff. One of my favorite stories is by L. Ron Hubbard. I think it's called "The Man Who Didn't Like Cats." (Or it could be "He Didn't Like Cats." Whatever. Good stuff. If you're a cat lover, you'll really like it.)

[Jyndral]

A RL friend of mine sent me a link to that site. I hemmed & hawed & hesitated some more, but I finally bit the bullet and sent a story in.

We'll see how it goes.

Until reading this, I didn't know of the Scientology connection. Then again, maybe I did and forgot about it.

Who knows? :shrug

~Jen

[DVKirste]

The posts here are pretty helpful. I've actually made it my literary goal this year to enter this contest. I'm working on two prospective entries of the fantasy genre for the contest. I read on the site that once you win, you can no longer enter. Does that mean that if you win one of the quarterly periods, but not first place among the four finalists, that that is your last chance?

[Canotila]

Holy zombie thread, Batman!

There are nine finalists each quarter, and of those three become winners. If you don't make it as one of those three, you didn't win and can enter again. And good luck! You might try checking out their contest forums. The folks there are extremely helpful and friendly.

[Sai]

Holy zombie thread, Batman!


Damn, you beat me to it! There is a more recent thread on the same topic with a ton more posts here:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83077&highlight=writers+future

[Filigree]

I'm just waiting for February, when we get the results for the last round. I'm afraid to second-guess my entry, but the last two got SHM and HM.

[Sai]

I'm just waiting for February, when we get the results for the last round. I'm afraid to second-guess my entry, but the last two got SHM and HM.

Don't feed the zombie thread! There is a seven year gap between posts. That's forever ago. The original posters have probably already evolved into higher beings and moved on.

[Filigree]

Sorry, Sai, I didn't read back.

[DVKirste]

Holy zombie thread, Batman!

Sorry about that, i just happened across it and only found the current one after i posted on this one.