Welcome to the debut edition of Sibyl’s Scriptorium. Over the years as Contest Coordinator, I have had the chance to see many excellent entries to Life, the Universe, & Everything: The Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy (LTUE) contests. We are excited to publish this year’s winners in Sibyl’s Scriptorium.

For 31 years and counting, the LTUE Symposium has been dedicated to assisting authors, poets, and illustrators improve their craft. Practice is an important part of learning. That is why the contests exist. That is what our goal is: to aid creators in learning how to perfect their craft. We have several vehicles to assist in this process. We have made a number of changes this year, all of which lead up to the Sibyl’s Scriptorium publication.

Æther Illustration Contest is the newest of the contests, but it is not the least. It began this year and gives LTUE’s illustrators a chance to compete as well. This contest was overdue, and we are thrilled with the works we have already witnessed.

DragonComet Short Story Contest was the first of all the contests sponsored by LTUE. Writing has always been at the core of LTUE, and that this contest was the first is no surprise. In its section you will find a great variety of short stories.

Odyssey Poetry Contest entries show stunning vistas of imagination. Poetry allows a connection to imagination different from either of the other contests. Come immerse yourself in the vistas created by this year’s winners.

Every story included in these pages is the dream of its creator. For years the Contest Committee has read a range of stories and poetry but never had a means of sharing them with a broader audience. We know that while being recognized with an award is wonderful, what illustrators, authors, and poets really want is to be able to share their work with everyone. We are pleased to at last be able to share their dreams with you.

Sibyl's Scriptorium's call to poets, illustrators, and authors is to create their own universes. The call has been answered and the second volume of Sibyl’s Scriptorium has become reality. You hold worlds created by talented individuals’ hard work, determination, and soul. I am blessed to be a step on their path forward.

In addition to the contributors, this publication owes thanks to the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium (LTUE). For thirty-three years it has helped writers, editors, and artists improve their skills. The contests were created to help fulfill this imperative. Last year they were melded together into Sibyl’s Scriptorium to allow entrants, not only practice, but the chance to shine. I am proud of this year’s winners.

Completing its second year, Æther Illustration Contest continues to receive a illustrations with a depth of themes and styles. Each provides a glimpse of a world beyond our own. Each are worth more than thousand words and more than one look.

The elder sibling of the contests is DragonComet Short Story Contest. Writing has always been the core of LTUE and it is no surprise a short story contest came first. The surprises of this contest are the stories submitted. From the practiced and refined ideas of the Adult Division, to the wild imagination of the School Age divisions, each story is a treat to read.
Odyssey Poetry Contest is defined by the deliberately crafted entries. Each word is chosen to provide the reader a vibrant nuance. Poetry’s challenge is heightened by trying to reveal a world separate from our own. Pause and allow these words’ meaning to unfold. The time will not be wasted.

From myself and from all of Sibyl’s Scriptorium’s committee, welcome. We are glad you have chosen to share in the delight these works have brought us. We are grateful for the opportunity to connect you with new universes. The time has come to turn the page and delve in.

New worlds are waiting.

Welcome to the 2016 edition of Sibyl’s Scriptorium, Volume 3. We are proud to present the winning entries, and we’re confident that you’ll be just as impressed by them as our judges were. Here, you’ll read about space stations and dragons. You’ll also explore themes as broad as the nature of the universe and as personal as how to discover yourself.

First, though, I would like to take just a moment to reflect on the past year and look briefly toward where we are headed in the future.

This year has seen the contests grow in tremendous ways. One major change to all the contests was the introduction of a traid entry system. In an effort to encourage people to write more and help them learn through practical experience, SibScript now has three deadlines throughout the year: March 1st, June 1st, and October 1st. Entrants can now enter multiple traids until a creation is selected as a finalist. We feel this system furthers our goal of assisting creators. It is also a fun way to interact with entrants throughout the year.

For the first time we participated in Salt Lake Comic Con as a vendor. The experience was fantastic and allowed us to connect with more people and provided a great venue for an exciting announcement: the creation of a fourth contest. PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel Contest was introduced for the 2017 contest year. This contest combines both art and writing. One striking difference for this contest from its predecessors is the ability for teams of collaborators to contribute. Just like its predecessors, the contest has divisions for adults, school age, and young school age entrants. We look forward to the PhoenixMoon’s first year.

For the other contests, 2016 was a excellent year. We received more entries than previous years and they were greatly enjoyed by the judges. The hard part this year was selecting the best entries both in preliminary judging and the final judging rounds. We hope you enjoy the anthology as much as we have.

As always, the Æther Illustration, DragonComet Short Story, and Odyssey Poetry Contests continue to offer everyone an opportunity to put their skills, including those learned at LTUE, to use. Each contest showcases a different set of skills and those showcased in this anthology are great examples of the best in each division.

Next year, we expect more great changes to come. We hope you will all join us again and can’t wait to see the new year’s entries.

Welcome to Sibyl’s Scriptorium, Volume 4. We’re glad you have found your way here and know you will enjoy our winning entries. Prepare for a journey to ocean, the stars, and within your own mind. Images which capture castles, to the woods, and the undead. First though, a look behind to see what happened and a glimpse of what is to come.

Sibyl’s Scriptorium underwent a large change this year. We have joined forces with Fyrecon, a new conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy writing and art. Our partnership with Fyrecon has afforded us new opportunities for our entrants, including new prizes of discounted or free passes for winners. More details to come on that.

To coordinate with our new home, we have rearranged our entry deadlines to July 1st, November 1st, and March 1st. I feel the new deadlines will allow our younger entrants better opportunities to enter the contests as the dates more closely correspond to school calendars.

2017 was an excellent year for your contests. We saw a larger number of entries than ever, including from our Young School Age and School Age divisions. The contests are meant to give a practical experience to our learners. We’re delighted to see some many young creatives participating.

We’ve had new celebrity judges lend their time and expertise to the contests. To all of our new judges, welcome. We know that your, both our returning judges and new judges, is precious. We appreciate your support and the feedback you have provided our entrants. Learning what they have done, both areas they have done well in and what they can work on next, is an important aspect of these contests.

As always, the Æther Illustration, DragonComet Short Story, and Odyssey Poetry Contests continue to offer everyone an opportunity to put their skills to use. Each contest showcases a different set of skills and those showcased in this anthology are great examples of the best in each division. We are glad to welcome PhoenixMoon to the ranks of our contests and winners. The entries, both individually done or created by teams, were a delight to see and include in our anthology.

Next year, we expect more great changes to come. We hope you will all join us again and can’t wait to see the new year’s entries.

Welcome to Sibyl’s Scriptorium, Volume 5. Within these pages are flashes of worlds beyond our own from ghosts unable to rest to trees reaching for the light. Prepare to see how far you’d go for a dream, to fight for justice, or to save exiled magic. First though, a look behind to see what happened and a glimpse of what is to come.

This year, our cover art was provided by Rob Carlos, an extremely talented artist we are delighted to have grace our cover with our first full color illustration. His Illustration Finding Fantasy beautifully depicts the sense of wonder that can lead you in any direction. The many pathways open to creatives are reflected in the four contests or cornerstones of Sibyl’s Scriptorium.

The Æther Illustration, DragonComet Short Story, Odyssey Poetry, and PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel contests continue to offer anyone an opportunity to put their skills to use. These contests each showcases different skills beautifully utilized by the entrants to create worlds beyond our own, and ideas to enrich all. Those showcased in this anthology are great examples of the best in each division.

2018 was an excellent year for the contests. We’re delighted to see more children participating from outside of our area. We strive o give a practical experience to our learners which can be especially important for our Young School Age and School Age divisions. We’re delighted with the increasing number of young creatives participating. Each voice whether from the youth divisions or adult division provide unique perspectives.

This year we had entrants from across the united states and internationally. Our farthest away entry was from China. The diversification of our entrants provides new voices and new insights of both this world and those worlds imagined. We are delighted to be able to include these voices for you.

For the second year, Sibyl’s Scriptorium partnered with Fyrecon, a conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy writing and art. We’re happy to report that the relationship continues to prove beneficial where for the first time we’re able to offer trophies to the first-place winners. These are in addition to the prizes Fyrecon continues to offer our winners including discounted memberships offering the chance to explore perfecting creative endeavors through the hands-on classes and workshops.

Next year, we expect more challenges, more great changes, and new visions to come. We hope you will all join us again.