Pratt in Venice alumna ('14) Megan Kelchner was honored on Sunday night in Los Angeles at the 31st annual L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The contest is specifically aimed at finding and recognizing artists and writers of the future, who have yet to be published.  Megan attended a week long program of workshops with finalists in illustration and writing, followed by an award ceremony honoring participants and winners. Megan was one of 12 winners of the Illustrators of the future part of the competition and illustrated a short story called “Half Past” by Samantha Murray. The published book containing all the art and short stories is titled the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Volume 31 and can be purchased on Amazon. 

The Contest itself consists of four quarters, with three winners each quarter. At the end of the year the three winners from each quarter are all brought to the destination of the award ceremony. The requirements for the first step of the competition are three illustrations (that have not been published), and contestants can apply each quarter, or until they are chosen.  Once chosen, illustrators team up with a writer from the same year and illustrate their short story. The illustrators are compensated and the finalists send their work in to be reviewed for the award ceremony.

Megan has been a finalist twice before in the "doodle 4 Google" competition. 

She attended Pratt in Venice during the summer of 2014, and will be returning to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn during the fall of 2015, after a semester abroad in Milan at the prestigious Nuova Accademia Di Belle Arti. 

Megan's website is www.megankelchner.com.