the contest can be entered quarterly, & is open to writers world health organization develop there is no, or even pack, agent publications (a definition of sales person publication existence of these paying to a higher degree a certain total by the word). Manuscripts come blind-estimated, & come filter inside quarterfinal & semi award cycles per Contest Judge (originally Algis Budrys, although Dave Wolverton was the judge when you took tremendously of the Nineties, & currently K.D. Wentworth). Finalists come sent to a panel of sales person sf writers, world health organization determine the quarterly awards. the 4 quarterly foremost place winners compete for a separate annual award. the foremost, 2nd & third place winners & a choice of the more finalist stories come published annually. A lot winners & promulgated finalist attend a annual writers workshop & Awards jamboree at a invitation of the contest administration.

An creative person' contest, a Illustrators of the First, was added around 1988.

A original sponsors of the contest were Bridge Publications, Inc. Recently, a sponsorship moved to Galaxy Press, the company publishing, among more works, Hubbard's fiction and a contest anthologies.

A contest has besides served as a promotional vehicle for Hubbard himself, world health organization returned to science fiction publishing by using Battlefield Earth at about the equivalent instance when he began a contest. Hubbard's title appears "above the title", & within at least when large fonts, in the contest publicity & anthologies.

Although Hubbard is too the founder of a Church of Scientology, typing or even even even winning a contest doesn't in any way need or indicate endorsement or membership in the Church of Scientology, & the contest itself has been endorsed by a wide range of easily-known speculative fiction writers world health organization use there are no relationship to Scientology whatsoever.