Allan has only been serious about art since 2011 and will provide inspiration to anyone looking at transitioning from doodling to art as a career. He now works as assistant to American science fiction & fantasy artist Todd Lockwood.

Award winning artist Vytautas Vasiliauskas talks about his journey from university in Lithuania to university in the United Kingdom and then to France and finally deciding he wanted to be an artist as a career. He is now back home in Lithuania, pursuing his career as an artist and has a special message in his native tongue.

Christine talks about how she is able to pursue her career as an Illustrators of the Future winning artist, while raising a baby with the help of her very supportive husband. She transitioned from molecular cell biology to art, having realized she could still help people—through her art. Discover the fantastical art of Christine at www.christinerhee.com.

David has only seriously pursued a writing career the past 5 years, following a mathematics career and raising a family. He is a Writers of the Future winner after 19 entries. He is living proof that it is never too late to pursue one's dream as a writer and how to overcome self-doubt and rejection.

Christopher talks about writing fantasy and having so little confidence in himself as a writer that it took 4 years to find that he had been an honorable mention in Writers of the Future (he had stopped reading his emails!) at which point he became excited to be a writer again, submitted and won the contest.

Alex talks about how the art industry is hard to survive in, that most graduates of art school don't become artists, and how winning Illustrators of the Future came at a time when he was ready to quit his dream of being an artist. Learn more about the art of Alex at www.illustratedpixels.com.

Elise talks about her story "Untrained Luck," how she is able to balance being a young mom and a writing career, and the middle-eastern conflict backstory to her award winning story.

Andrew talks about his story "Thanatos Drive," how he discovered this writing contest, and how he came to be a science fiction writer.

Aliya talks about the art that she submitted and won with and then how she painted the art that won the grand prize illustrator award. Discover the award winning art of Aliya at www.aliyachen.com.

Kevin and Rebecca began their careers by entering the Contest and "pro'ing" out (selling a novel disqualifying them from entering again). With over 50 bestsellers, they talk about how to become a professional writer with hard-won lessons not taught anywhere else on the business of writing.