Illustrators of the Future Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by L. Ron Hubbard

• Every quarter, $1,500 worth of prizes are up for grabs
• Quarterly victors have the chance to compete for an additional annual prize of $5,000
• The competition is open to both new and amateur artists in the SciFi and Fantasy genres
• Only professional artists will judge the entries
• There is no entry fee and all rights remain with the entrants

1. The competition is open to participants from all countries. However, participants should have a means of communicating in English. All SciFi and Fantasy themes are welcome and each entry will be judged on its own merits. There is no entry fee and all rights to the entry remain with the artist.
2. By entering the competition, participants agree to comply with all competition rules.
3. The competition is open to new and amateur artists who have not been professionally published and paid for more than three black-and-white story illustrations, or more than one process-color painting, in media widely distributed to the public. The key eligibility criterion is defined by the term “amateur”—meaning the artist has not been paid for their artwork. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact the Contest Administration with details about your publication history. Include a self-addressed and stamped envelope for the reply. You may also email your questions to the Contest Administration.
4. Each participant can only submit one set of illustrations per competition quarter. The entry must be original and previously unpublished. Plagiarism, infringement of others' rights, or other violations of the competition rules will result in disqualification. Previous quarter winners are not eligible to enter again.
5. The entry should consist of three illustrations created by the participant in a color or black-and-white medium from the artist’s imagination. Use of gray scale in illustrations and mixed media, photo and design software, and the use of photography in the illustrations are accepted. Art generated using programs such as artificial intelligence, or similar programs will be disqualified. Source and reference imagery may be requested at any time to ensure all rules have been met. Each illustration must represent a different subject from the other two.
6. Electronic submissions should separately include the artist’s legal name, address, telephone number, email address which will identify each of three pieces of art and the artist’s signature on the art should be deleted. Only .jpg, .jpeg, and .png files will be accepted, a maximum file size of 10 mb.

7. HARD COPY ENTRIES SHOULD NOT BE THE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, but should be color or black-and-white reproductions of the originals, of a quality satisfactory to the entrant. Entries must be submitted unfolded and flat, in an envelope no larger than 9 inches by 12 inches. Images submitted electronically must be a minimum of 300 dpi, a minimum of 5 x 7 inches and a maximum of 8.5 x 11 inches.

   All hard copy entries must be accompanied by a self-addressed return envelope of the appropriate size, with the correct US postage affixed. (Non-US entrants should enclose international postage reply coupons.) If the entrant does not want the reproductions returned, the entry should be clearly marked DISPOSABLE COPIES: DO NOT RETURN. A business-size self-addressed envelope with correct postage (or valid email address) should be included so that the judging results may be returned to the entrant. We only accept entries that do not require a delivery signature for us to receive them.

   To facilitate anonymous judging, each of the three photocopies must be accompanied by a removable cover sheet bearing the artist’s name, address, telephone number, email address, and an identifying title for that work. The reproduction of the work should carry the same identifying title on the front of the illustration and the artist’s signature should be deleted. The Contest Administration will remove and file the cover sheets, and forward only the anonymous entry to the judges.

8. There will be three co-winners each quarter. Each winner will receive a cash prize of US $500 and a trophy. Winners will also be eligible to compete for the annual Grand Prize of $5,000 along with the annual Grand Prize trophy.

9. For the annual Grand Prize Contest, the quarterly winners will be provided with a specification sheet and a winning story from the Writers of the Future Contest to illustrate. In order to maintain eligibility for the Grand Prize, each winner must send their illustration of the assigned story to the Contest address within thirty (30) days of receiving the story assignment.

   The annual Grand Prize winner will be determined by a panel of judges based solely on each judge's personal opinion on how much the illustration makes them want to read the story it illustrates.

   The Grand Prize winner will be announced and awarded, along with the trophies to the winners, at the L. Ron Hubbard awards ceremony held in the following year or when it is able to be held due to government regulations.

10. The Contest has four quarters, beginning on October 1, January 1, April 1, and July 1. The year will end on September 30. To be eligible for judging in its quarter, an entry must be postmarked or received electronically no later than midnight on the last day of the quarter. Late entries will be included in the following quarter and the Contest Administration will so notify the entrant.
11. Entries will be judged by professional artists only. Each quarterly judging and the Grand Prize judging may have different panels of judges. The decisions of the judges are entirely their own and are final and binding.
12. Winners in each quarter will be individually notified of the results by phone, mail, or email.
13. This Contest is void where prohibited by law.
14. To submit your entry electronically, visit: www.writersofthefuture.com/enter-the-illustrator-contest and follow the instructions. To send your entry via mail, send it to: L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrators of the Future Contest, 7051 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90028
15. For any updates on Contest rules, visit the website at: www.illustratorsofthefuture.com