Writers and Illustrators of the Future names third-quarter 2026 winners

The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests announced the third-quarter winners for Year 43, covering April 1 to June 30, 2026. The contest will bring the new winners to Hollywood for a workshop and awards ceremony as the long-running program continues to spotlight emerging science fiction and fantasy talent.

Why it matters: - The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests remain a major pipeline for new science fiction and fantasy talent. - The program says its winners and finalists have built careers that stretch into novels, books, comics, film, TV and games.

What happened: - The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests announced the third-quarter winners for its 43rd year. - The contest period covered April 1 to June 30, 2026. - Writers of the Future first-place winner is A.Q. Chang of California. - Writers of the Future second-place winner is Steven Novick of New York. - Writers of the Future third-place winner is Cara Giles of Utah. - Illustrators of the Future winners are Victor Araujo of Ecuador, Sandy Butchers of the Netherlands and Alain Mogena of Cuba. - The complete list of Finalists, Semi-Finalists, Silver Honorable Mentions and Honorable Mentions is posted at the contest blog.

The details: - L. Ron Hubbard launched the contest series in 1985 with the first volume of the series. - Hubbard wrote that a culture is as rich and as capable of surviving as it has imaginative artists. - Hubbard also wrote that he created the contest so new and budding writers could have their creative efforts seen and acknowledged. - Contest Director Joni Labaqui said the contest has entrants from more than 175 countries and winners from 54 countries. - Labaqui said the program gives aspiring writers and artists around the world a chance to be discovered and launch careers. - The winning writers and illustrators will be flown to Hollywood for a week-long workshop with contest judges and a lavish awards ceremony. - Writer judges include Kevin J. Anderson, Doug Beason, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, Brian Herbert, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Hugh Howey, Nancy Kress, Katherine Kurtz, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Todd McCaffrey, Rebecca Moesta, Larry Niven, Jody Lynn Nye, Nnedi Okorafor, Tim Powers, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Dean Wesley Smith, S.M. Stirling and Sean Williams. - Illustrator judges include Echo Chernik, Lazarus Chernik, Ciruelo, Vincent Di Fate, Diane Dillon, Bob Eggleton, Craig Elliott, Larry Elmore, Laura Freas Beraha, Brian C. Hailes, Brittany Jackson, Val Lakey Lindahn, Stephan Martiniere, Sergey Poyarkov, Rob Prior, Irvin Rodriguez, Dan dos Santos, Shaun Tan, Tom Wood and Stephen Youll. - The contests say 583 writing contest winners and published finalists have written more than 8,000 novels and short stories, with sales topping 60 million copies. - The contests say 430 illustrating contest winners have contributed to more than 700 books, 500 comics and 130 major motion pictures, gaming feature films, TV shows and documentaries.

Between the lines: - The contest is positioning itself as both a talent competition and a career accelerator. - The international spread of winners and entrants suggests the program is drawing from a broad global pool. - The outcomes cited by the contest are meant to show long-term industry impact, not just a one-time prize.

What's next: - The winners will travel to Hollywood for the workshop and awards ceremony. - More information about the contest is available at Writers of the Future. - Social updates are available on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and SoundCloud.

The bottom line: - The contest continues to use its quarterly awards to surface new genre talent and funnel winners toward industry exposure.