A Mason Engineer Wins a Global Sci‑Fi Writing Award

An aerospace engineer from Mason, Ohio has taken home the top prize in an international science‑fiction contest. The award, presented by L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future program, honored his short story “In Living Color.” The piece was chosen from a field of global entries and later appeared in the contest’s 42nd anthology.

The writer, who began crafting stories in 2013, usually focuses on hard‑science themes that mirror his engineering background. “In Living Color” departs from that formula, blending noir elements with a speculative twist: a man who can slip into paintings. The plot follows him as police enlist his talent to view crime‑scene photos from the perspective of victims. The setting is Cincinnati, where the protagonist works on these eerie images.

The engineer lives in Mason with his partner Jen, two kids, and a housemate nicknamed Eddie the Cat. He also enjoys hiking and cooking in his spare time. Though “In Living Color” is his first professional publication, he expects to see it in Analog Science Fiction and Fact soon. He has already completed a novel titled “Seven Days on Samarkand” and is searching for an agent to launch it.

During the award ceremony in Hollywood, he praised Cincinnati’s resilience and his long‑term connection to the city. He noted that many people feel overlooked, yet “the whole world sees you now.” He also thanked the illustrator who helped bring his story to life, a fellow contest winner whose oil painting was described as “terrifying” by attendees.

The contest, founded in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard, aims to give emerging writers a platform. Winners receive recognition and monetary prizes; this engineer earned $5,000 and a Golden Pen trophy. He urges aspiring genre authors to enter the competition, emphasizing that perseverance is key in a field rife with rejection.