By Mark Ambrogi
Ryan Richmond learned of an illustration contest through a Facebook friend, who had been chosen as one of the winners in the past.
“I thought I might as well throw my hat in the ring, and, honestly, I didn’t know much about the contest,” Richmond said. “When I got the call, I was not only completely shocked that I won for my quarter, but I was also completely unaware of the scale of the competition and what it entailed. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and feel very blessed to be in this situation.”
The Carmel resident was recently announced as a winner in the Illustrators of the Future contest, which is in its 28th year. Richmond, a Franklin Community High School alum, graduated from Herron School of Art and Design in 2016.
“Being chosen as one of the quarterly winners of this contest is incredible,” Richmond said. “It’s validation not only for myself, but also for anyone else who has played a role in me getting to where I am today. When you’re an introverted kid growing up in a place that doesn’t offer much exposure to success in entertainment art, it’s hard to envision a future version of yourself who has found any sense of accomplishment doing something you love. It’s a nice way to show myself that I am on the right path, and a small way to say thank you to anyone who has ever pushed me to pursue it.”
The quarterly cash prize was $500. His art will be published in the annual bestseller, “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 33.” There are 12 illustrators and 12 writers chosen for the year.
“Then, after we are paired up and submit our work, one illustrator and one writer will each be chosen for $5,000 grand prizes,” Richmond said. “The workshop and everything that goes along with that will be completely paid for, all of which I was completely unaware of when I submitted my work for the contest. The awards event will take place on April 2, and the workshop will span the week or so leading up to that.”
Richmond is working on freelance projects, including a comic book, a book cover and a video game. For more, visit writersofthefuture.com.
