SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) -- Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) student Jordan Smajstrla is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest. This distinction has earned her a trip to Hollywood for a week-long master-class workshop, an awards event, and the publishing of her art in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41. Jordan is originally from Boerne, Texas.
Jordan says her admiration of fantasy art began in her childhood. She read any book she could get her hands on, as well as repeatedly rewatching many fantasy films. Her love for fantasy was strengthened when she began to play Dungeons & Dragons in high school with friends who were interested in the same things. In high school, she took an animation class. She enjoyed that so much, she decided to attend SCAD. While there, she thrived in the community of artistic students. Jordan is currently finishing up earning her BFA in Illustration.
The work she submitted for the Illustrators of the Future Contest was judges by 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), among others.
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), and others.
In the 35 years of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, there have been 406 winners. The past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 6,800 illustrations, 390 comic books, graced 700 books and albums with their art, and visually contributed to 68 television shows and 40 major movies.
The Writers of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious award of its kind and has now become the largest, most successful, and most influential for emerging creative talent in the world of speculative fiction. Since its first year, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 39 anthology volumes and has awarded nearly $1 million in cash prizes and royalties.