Futurescapes Academy
10 Years in the Making
Futurescapes Writers’ Workshop enters its 10th year in 2026 with a renewed mission: to empower writers, support our community through scholarships, and celebrate the craft of storytelling. This year, we are introducing our first-ever Futurescapes Anthology, open exclusively to Academy members.
The Academy theme for the year is "Writing for the Future." Each module, workshop, and event will help participants craft and refine a short piece (500–1250 words) for submission to the anthology.
Not every submission will be selected for publication, but every level of the Academy is designed to guide you toward creating your best work. Higher levels offer more critique, personalized feedback, and targeted support to help your submission shine.
This Year’s Theme: Writing for the Future
Our goal this year is to help Academy members produce a finished, polished short piece (500–1250 words) for our first-ever Futurescapes Academy Anthology. Each month, you'll receive a new module that builds toward that goal. Modules include writing prompts, craft tips, revision strategies, and insights into theme, voice, and structure.
Each Academy level receives:
Core Content: The monthly module.
Level-Specific Content: Bonus resources, added support, and events aligned with your level.
Anthology Workshop Access: Higher levels will also receive a workshop session to get feedback on their anthology piece before final submission.
Academy Objectives
Provide a structured path for Academy members to complete and submit a polished short piece for the Futurescapes Anthology.
Offer accessible, affordable, and enriching craft education.
Build a strong community of committed writers.
Fund the Futurescapes 2026 Scholarship Program through Academy memberships.
What is Futurescapes Academy?
Futurescapes Academy is for writers who are serious about their craft, committed to contributing to a supportive creative community, and passionate about helping others access opportunities. Members join for the perks—but stay for the transformation. Our long-term goal is to fill the scholarship fund ahead of each annual workshop so we can offer more need- and diversity-based financial support.
Why the Academy Exists
Rising inflation and economic uncertainty have made it harder for many students to access the kind of support Futurescapes offers. Instead of raising tuition, we created the Academy to:
Offer discounted rates for classes and workshops.
Provide monthly payment options.
Build a stronger scholarship fund for future attendees.
Level Up
Choose Your Rank
Welcome aboard! The Recruit level connects you to a private Discord community of Academy members.
Everything in Recruit, plus new craft content and community support each month to keep your writing momentum going.
Everything in Ensign, plus curated reading to inspire your craft.
Everything in Lieutenant, plus access to live classes and focused anthology prep.
Everything in Commander, plus deeper access to our faculty.
Everything in Captain, plus even more class access and a workshop discount.
Our highest tier includes everything—plus full admission to the 2026 Fall Workshop and an exclusive keynote Q&A.
FAQs
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Futurescapes Academy is for thsoe who are serious about their craft, about contributing to a community of writers, and about supporting writers in financial need. The goal is for us to fill the scholarship fund before the next annual workshop so that we can give more need and diversity-based scholarships. It’s worth it to us to offer discounted rates, if it means we can fill our scholarship fund in advance.
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Futurescapes generally relies on the sale of classes to fill our scholarship fund. However, with rising inflation we experienced two things: 1) fewer students purchased add-on classes; 2) as a result we were left with a thin scholarship pool. We could raise tuition, but we’re dedicated to keeping tuition where it is for as long as we can. To solve this problem we created the academy as a way to offer the same benefits at a discounted rate and allow students to pay in monthly installments instead of all at once. Futurescapes benefits from knowing beforehand that our scholarship fund is filled, and students get another relief from the pressures of inflation.
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We know how much we need to fill the scholarship fund. If we meet that goal, then everyone will be promoted one rank. For example, if you enlisted as a Commander and enough people enlist for us to meet our goal, you will be promoted and get all the benefits associated with the rank of Captain with no increase in your enlistment dues! That’s largely why the Ambassador rank exists, so that we have “room” for everyone to move up one rank.
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Yes, there is! It comes with the rank of Ambassador. After a lot of consideration, we believe that if someone is taking on the rest of these skill-bulidng benefits to improve as a writer, we can reserve them a seat in the workshop. HOWEVER, we do reserve the right to ask you to revise and submit your written materials prior to the deadline for the workshop. This should be seen as a benefit, you may get a critique prior to the workshop even starting!
Any material that is overtly offensive would be rejected and the individual would receive a partial refund.
So, you may want to just enlist as an Ambassador, or you can enlist as an Admiral and then help us get the word out so we reach our goals and you gain that field promotion!
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Yes! Just send an email to luke.peterson@futurescapes.ink with your request and we’ll send you an invoice.
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This is an academy. You are joining a shared effort to do something amazing. You will be known as the Futurescapes Academy Class of 2026, and you will officially be given your rank during a ceremony during the 2026 Fall Workshop. We want you all in!
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It’s easy! Since your admission is included, we’ll send information about accessing the workshop in early fall 2026.