Illustrators of the Future Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by L. Ron Hubbard

The Illustrators of the Future Contest is an exciting opportunity for new and amateur artists in the realm of science fiction and fantasy. Each quarter, we award $1,500 in prizes, and our quarterly winners are eligible to compete for an additional $5,000 annual prize. The contest is open to artists from all nations, though entrants should be able to communicate in English.

The contest is specifically designed for 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 distributed broadly to the general public. The key criterion for eligibility is the term "amateur"—meaning the artist has not been paid for their artwork. If you're unsure about your eligibility, please contact the Contest Administration with details about your publication history.

Each entrant may submit one set of illustrations per contest quarter. These illustrations must be original and previously unpublished. Any form of plagiarism, infringement of others' rights, or violation of contest rules will result in disqualification. Previous quarter winners are not eligible for further entries.

The entry should consist of three illustrations, created from the artist’s imagination, in either color or black-and-white medium. We accept the use of gray scale in illustrations and mixed media, photo and design software, and the use of photography in the illustrations. However, art generated using programs such as artificial intelligence will be disqualified.

Electronic submissions should include the artist’s legal name, address, telephone number, and email address. Each of the three pieces of art should be identified separately, and the artist’s signature on the art should be deleted. We accept .jpg, .jpeg, and .png files, with a maximum file size of 10 mb.

For hard copy entries, please do not send the original drawings. Instead, send color or black-and-white reproductions of the originals. 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.

Each quarter, we will select three winners who will each receive a cash prize of $500 and a trophy. These winners will also be eligible to compete for the annual Grand Prize of $5,000 and the annual Grand Prize trophy.

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.

All 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.

Winners in each quarter will be individually notified of the results by phone, mail, or email. This Contest is void where prohibited by law. To send 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. For any updates on Contest rules, visit www.illustratorsofthefuture.com.