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< Back Compton Crook Selections The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best of each year's English language first novel by an author in the field of science fiction, fantasy, or horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society at our annual science fiction convention, Balticon, the Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. Awards have been presented since 1983. The award is also known as the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award. The list of eligible books is published in the monthly newsletter so all club members will have a chance to read and vote. The winning author is invited to Balticon (BSFS pays transportation and lodging) for two years, and presented with the cash award of $1,000 and an award plaque. Compton Crook, who wrote under the name of Stephen Tall, was a long-time Baltimore resident, Towson State University professor, and science fiction author. He died in 1981. BSFS is proud to present the Finalists for the 2026 Compton Crook Award for best debut novel in the SF, Fantasy, and Horror genres: The Finalists are All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso ~ Winner The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde Splinter Effect: A Novel by Andrew Ludington Select the image to find more information about each book and the author.

< Back Sabrina Vourvoulias Science Scientist Sabrina Vourvoulias is an award-winning Latina news editor and writer whose work has appeared at The Guardian US, PRI’s The World, NBC Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philadelphia Magazine, among other venues. She is the senior editor for commentary, ideas, and community engagement at the Opinion desk of the Philadelphia Inquirer. An American citizen from birth, she grew up in Guatemala during the armed internal conflict and moved to the United States when she was a teenager. Vourvoulias is the author of Ink, an immigration-centered dystopia named to Latinidad’s Best Books of 2012, and reissued by Rosarium Publishing in 2018. In 2020, she wrote the Smithsonian Latino Center’s middle-school nonfiction anthology, Nuestra América: 30 Inspiring Latinas/Latinos Who Have Shaped the United States. Her speculative short fiction has been published at Tor.com, Apex, Fantasy, Strange Horizons and Uncanny, among others. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter. Other Socials

< Back Guess Who? 2027 Guest of Honor

Volunteer Rewards Although Balticon is a 100% volunteer-run convention, and nobody's getting paid around here, we do have a few perks. Depending on how many hours you work, Minerva has a few to give away to our hard working staff. See the slide show below for details.

< Back Jean Marie Ward Literary Author Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction and everything in between, including novels, art books, and military strategy. (That one surprised her too.) Her first collection of short fiction, Dragons, Cats, and Formidable Femmes, was published in 2024. The former editor of Crescent Blues and currently author interviewer for BOOKBALE.com, she co-edited the six-volume, 40th anniversary World Fantasy Con anthology UnConventional Fantasy Learn more at JeanMarieWard.com. Other Socials

Balticon 61 memberships are available for purchase now! Book your hotel stay to enjoy the convention all weekend long without the drive, and get the best rate with our room block. Registration & Hotel Balticon 61 Memberships will be available for purchase soon, through our Registration portal. Buy Badges Full Weekend Memberships These are 2026 prices, 2027 prices will be updated soon. Adult (25+) Young Adult (13 - 24) Child (12 and under) Winter Rate (Through Feb 28) $75 $38 Always free Early Bird Rate (March 1 - April 15) $80 $40 Advance Rate (April 16 - May 15) $85 $43 Full Weekend (May 16 - At The Door) $89 $45 Friday $40 $20 Saturday $50 $25 Sun/Mon $60 $30 Sunday $45 $23 Monday $30 $15 Virtual Only $30 *Age is of the first day of the con. ** Virtual Memberships are included with ALL memberships *** Active Duty military and their family receive $30 off ANY membership ($15 for Young Adults) at the door with valid ID Renaissance Harborplace Hotel Balticon will be held at The Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel , 202 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA, inside the Baltimore Inner Harbor Entertainment District. Multiple shops, restaurants and entertainment venues are adjacent to the hotel. Public Transportation: Routes and schedules for bus and light rail are available on the MTA website. Room Parties: I f you wish to host a party in your room, please contact the party coordinator at Party@Balticon.org for party guidelines and how to reserve a room on the party floor. Hotel Registration Frequently asked questions Registration Accessibility Balticon Anywhere General Questions Am I registered yet? We know how hard it is to keep track of a tiny receipt for an entire year! If you want to check on the status of your registration, you can always visit https://reg.balticon.org/checkReg.php . If you do not want your name to appear on the site at all, please contact registration@balticon.org and ask to be removed from the Am I Registered Yet? feature. Please note that if you opt out, the only way to check the status of your registration will be to email us at registration@balticon.org and have our volunteers check manually. How do I get my badge? Which line do I stand in? What payment methods do you accept? Are there any discounts available? What about one-day memberships? What if I'm attending with young children? Can I pick up my spouse/girlfriend/child's membership as well as my own? Do I have to use my real name? Do I have to show ID? What happens to my email address if I give it to you? What happens to my phone number if I give it to you?

< List of Vendors Sol, Jonathan Dealer's Room Jonathan Sol is a lifelong storyteller who spends most of his free time creating worlds. He has lived and traveled throughout the US and abroad. He currently lives in his hometown of Washington, DC. An exciting space opera adventure On the eve of Earth’s first global embassy joining the galactic community, disaster strikes. Now a scientist and a programmer find themselves confronting the hidden side of a vast interstellar civilization that appears to be a utopia—on the surface. The Society by Jonathan Sol Jonathan Sol is a Science Fiction & Fantasy author http://jonathansol.com

< Back Cherrie Fors Literary Author Cherrie Fors writing under the pen name CL Fors is a science-fiction and speculative fiction author and award-winning illustrator. You can find the first novel in her epic sci-fi series, Cradle of Mars, on Amazon. Cherrie lives in the Southern California desert with her four kids and fellow author and spouse Jason P Crawford. She enjoys wilderness, creatures and all things science and spends most of her time in the worlds she creates. You can find her website. Other Socials http://www.clforsauthor.com

< List of Vendors Painting Dragon Feathers Dealer's Room Hello! I’m the artist and author behind Painting Dragon Feathers, JD Donnelly, and I sell: Original hand-cast and painted figures and mythological/fossil replicas. Original pieces of art--marker, pencil, watercolor, ink, etc. Block printed crafts--coasters, stamps, patches, printed hand bound books and journals, etc. Archival-grade prints of original art pieces (paintings, scratchboards, etc.) Hand-crafted terrariums featuring Poke'mon, dinosaurs, dragons, faux fossils, and original cast and painted figures/creatures with a selection of semi-precious stones, resin, and light effects. Hand-pulled, hand-carved block prints, small to limited edition. Select publications, including original novels such as CryptoZoo, contributing zines, and collaborative tarot decks. Thank you for your time and consideration. Stop by Painting Dragon Feathers to find all kinds of real, extinct, and fantastical animals, from mythozoological specimens, fossil reproductions, dioramas and terrariums, original artworks in block print, scratchboard, watercolor, tarot decks and zines, and novels such as CryptoZoo. Stop by Painting Dragon Feathers to find all kinds of real, extinct, and fantastical animals, from mythozoological specimens, fossil reproductions, dioramas and terrariums, original artworks in block print, scratchboard, watercolor, tarot decks and zines, and novels such as CryptoZoo. https://paintingdragonfeathers.square.site/

< Back Anastasia Holt Costuming Cosplay Well, what can I say about myself that friends and enemies have not already spread across the vastness of space? I have been sewing since I was a small child, very pleased with the ugly pink skirt I made as my first project. I have enjoyed costumes and Halloween and being in plays since I was a baby. My love for this only grew as I immersed myself more in to the culture. I started with anime conventions in 2006 and expanded to pop culture and comic book conventions around 2009. Once I felt the itch of individuality I was introduced to the world of costuming and the rest is history! With almost 40 workmanship and presentation awards under my belt, I feel I am a great source of art, advice and inspiration! Come and find me and lets share our experiences and love for this world of art! Other Socials

< Back Virginia DeMarce Literary Author Virginia DeMarce, since retiring as a historian in 2004, has been an active participant in the 1632 alternate history series founded by Eric Flint. She co-wrote three novels with Flint, four solo novels and one solo story collection, and numerous stories in the Ring of Fire anthologies, Grantville Gazette, and 1632 & Beyond, as well as participating in the 1632 Tech Forum on Baen's Bar and presenting material at the near-annual 1632 mini-cons. Other Socials

< Back Syd Operations Director Syd is one of the lead developers of ConTroll, the registration system used by Balticon and is a costumer and video director. He as staged many Masquerade entires and judged Masquerades from the local conventions to Worldcon's including several Balticon Masquerades. Other Socials