Authors Quill author Jefferson Snow Tremani Sutcliffe artist Haileigh Enriquez author Lauren McGuire

Eagle Mountain, Utah writer Jefferson Snow is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest earning him a trip to Hollywood for a week-long master-class workshop, an awards event and his winning story will be published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41.

Jefferson Snow is a writer living in Eagle Mountain, Utah, where he lives with his wife and three children. In college, he majored in advertising at BYU but spent most of his time writing stand-up or sneaking into Brandon Sanderson’s 318R lectures. Both pursuits honed his writing skills, despite his preference for stories with serious tones and softer magic systems.

To Jefferson, the Fantasy genre is a grand cathedral, and he loves the gargoyles who guard its buttresses, anti-heroes like Logen Ninefingers and Tyrion Lannister. But as fun as those characters are, Jefferson believes we’re not getting enough stories about the figures still inside the nave, the everyday parishioners, the Samwise Gamgees and Neville Longbottoms of the congregation. We still need stories about ordinary people doing the right thing, especially when it’s difficult.

Like much of Jefferson’s work, “The Rune Witch” handles themes of loss, sacrifice, and temptation. Fascinated by the trope of the Faustian Bargain—like Fëanor and Melkor, Elric and Arioch, King Elias and Ineluki—Jefferson explores whether making a deal with the devil can ever be justified.

“The Rune Witch” is Jefferson’s first sale. He hopes you enjoy it.

The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 42nd year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction.

The Writers of the Future Contest judges include Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Dune prequel series), Robert J. Sawyer (The Oppenheimer Alternative), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), Hugh Howey (Wool), and Katherine Kurtz (Deryni series) to name a few.

The Illustrators of the Future Contest judges include, Bob Eggleton (11 Chesley Awards and 7 Hugo Awards), Larry Elmore (Dungeons & Dragons book covers), Echo Chernik (graphic designs for major corporations including Celestial Seasonings tea packaging), Rob Prior (art for Spawn, Heavy Metal comics and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ciruelo (Eragon Coloring Book).

Following the 1982 release of his internationally acclaimed bestselling science fiction novel, Battlefield Earth, written in celebration of 50 years as a professional writer, L. Ron Hubbard created the Writers of the Future (writersofthefuture.com) in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring writers of speculative fiction to get that much-needed break. Due to the success of the Writers of the Future Contest, the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest was inaugurated five years later. Washington, Utah artist Ms. Tremani Sutcliffe is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest earning her a trip to Hollywood for a week-long master-class workshop, an awards event and her winning art will be published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41.

Tremani Sutcliffe, born in 1990 in Provo, Utah, spent her early years exploring the rugged landscapes of middle-of-nowhere Arizona, where hiking in desert mountains and catching rattlesnakes ignited her adventurous spirit.

Her passion for art stemmed from her love of books, and the fantastical covers that inspired her imagination. In true bookworm fashion, her artistic journey began at the local library, where she immersed herself in art instruction books, laying the foundation for her artistic journey. Through daily practice, relentless pursuit of new skills, and seeking mentorship from established artists, her commitment to learning new methods has continuously expanded her artistic repertoire. Tremani views art as a fusion of technique and creativity that brings beauty and meaning to life.

After spending most of her young life drawing and painting with watercolors, she expanded her skillset to include oils. Although she also began working with acrylics, she quickly decided they must have been invented by an angry dude with horns and a pitchfork for the sole purpose of making her life miserable….and decided to develop her digital painting skills instead.

The Illustrators of the Future Contest judges include, Bob Eggleton (11 Chesley Awards and 7 Hugo Awards), Larry Elmore (Dungeons & Dragons book covers), Echo Chernik (graphic designs for major corporations including Celestial Seasonings tea packaging), Rob Prior (art for Spawn, Heavy Metal comics and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ciruelo (Eragon Coloring Book). Rosemead, California artist Ms. Haileigh Enriquez is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest earning her a trip to Hollywood for a week-long master-class workshop, an awards event and her winning art will be published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41.

Haileigh Enriquez was born in 1996 and is a Los Angeles–born artist with a mix of Mexican/Yaqui Native American and Salvadorian roots. Growing up in Rosemead, California, a predominantly Asian/Hispanic community, deeply shaped her identity. She immersed herself in drawing and comic books from an early age and fostered a fascination for character design and storytelling. What started as an escape, turned into a passion.

Originally on a path toward a career in the medical field, a personal loss led Haileigh to reevaluate her future and embrace her true passion: art. With the encouragement of her family and mentors, she shifted her focus and enrolled at Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD), where she refined her technique and explored her own personal style. Her work blends fantastical realism, bold colors, and dynamic lines, drawing heavily from her love for comic book art and Mesoamerican mythology.

Driven by a desire to create characters that celebrate cultural diversity, Haileigh’s work is a joyful exploration of identity, imagination, and resilience. As a traditional artist turned digital creator, she combines realism with imaginative storytelling, crafting unique characters that reflect her identity and the worlds she dreams of.

Currently, Haileigh is working as a freelance artist for private clients and media companies, while also developing her own superhero series. She is driven to become a successful artist in the entertainment industry and excited to bring new, authentic stories to life—infused with the vibrant spirit of her heritage and her passion for representation. Senoia, Georgia author Lauren McGuire is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest earning her a trip to Hollywood for a week-long master-class workshop, an awards event and her winning story will be published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41.

Lauren McGuire lives in a small southern town where one cannot throw a rock without hitting a church. Ironically, the town is funded by zombies. Growing up as an army brat, she traveled all over the world including a stint in the Middle East which instilled a deep curiosity for other cultures and religions. She began writing in 2016 as a way of processing a chaotic cultural landscape and has since written six full manuscripts and several short stories. When not wrangling a family of five or training for half-marathons, she writes about space and monsters.

She is an active member of the Atlanta Writing Club and their 2020 winner for the Terry Kay prize for short fiction as well as a 2023 runner up for the Natasha Trethewey Prize for Poetry. She received two honorable mentions for the Writers of the Future contest before becoming a finalist. “Karma Birds” is her first professional sale.

Lauren’s story “Karma Birds” was inspired by a question—what would it take for humanity to choose kindness? What if morality stood outside the purview of religion or law and became instead a mandate from nature? “Karma Birds” imagines morality, not so much as a choice, but as a mechanism for survival.

The Writers of the Future Contest judges include, Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Dune prequel series), Robert J. Sawyer (The Oppenheimer Alternative), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), Hugh Howey (Wool), and Katherine Kurtz (Deryni series) to name a few.

The Illustrators of the Future Contest judges include, Bob Eggleton (11 Chesley Awards and 7 Hugo Awards), Larry Elmore (Dungeons & Dragons book covers), Echo Chernik (graphic designs for major corporations including Celestial Seasonings tea packaging), Rob Prior (art for Spawn, Heavy Metal comics and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ciruelo (Eragon Coloring Book).