< 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.

< List of Vendors Jolley, Dan Dealer's Room I'm Dan Jolley. I grew up in a rural Southern town as a huge fan of all things science-fiction and fantasy, and now I’m lucky enough (and stubborn enough) to make my living writing novels, video games, comic books, and children's books. I got started writing professionally at age 19. Beginning in comic books, I worked for most of the major American publishers, such as DC (Firestorm), Marvel (Dr. Strange), Dark Horse (Aliens), and Image (G.I. Joe), soon branching out into licensed-property novels (Star Trek), film novelizations (Iron Man), and original novels, including the Middle Grade Urban Fantasy series Five Elements, the Sci-Fi/Superhero Gray Widow Trilogy, the Southern Mystery Thriller The Storm, and my first-ever fantasy novel, The Runemaster Homicide. I first got a chance to write for video games in 2007, and since then I've contributed storylines, characters, and dialogue to titles such as Transformers: War for Cybertron, Prototype 2, and Dying Light. I'm an author, but I'll also be offering some laser-cut wood decorative items. http://www.danjolley.com

< Back Bear Portrait A music video for the Shipmate’s Music song, Bear Portrait. A music video for the Shipmate’s Music song, Bear Portrait. Previous Next

< Back Anne Gray Fan Fan Anne Gray is a futurist, a smof, a teacher, a diversity and inclusion activist, an historian, and a systems design engineer. An editor on Wikipedia and Fancyclopedia, she is constantly learning things (and then forgetting half of them). You can find out more about her at her website. Other Socials http://netmouse.com

ADVERTISE IN BSFAN: THE BALTICON 60 SOUVENIR BOOK! The BSFAN is an award-winning annual publication of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. (www.bsfs.org ). It features original art, science fiction and fantasy writing, and highlights the accomplishments of guests and program participants at the annual science fiction convention known as Balticon. Ad space is available for purchase or exchange in the next issue of the BSFAN , the Balticon convention souvenir book. Deadline for receipt of copy is April 30 . We can accept electronic files or camera-ready hard copy for scanning. Circulation: Estimated readership/distribution is app. 1,200-1,500, based on previous in-person conventions. Rates: Advertising Rates (B/W): Size (W x H) Pro Rate Fan Rate (50% discount) Full page: 7.5” x 10” $430.00 $215.00 Half page (horizontal): 7.5” x 5” $250.00 $125.00 Half page (vertical): 3.75" x 10" $250.00 $125.00 Quarter page (horizontal): 7.5" x 2.5" $200.00 $100.00 Quarter page (vertical): 3.75" x 5" $200.00 $100.00 Business card: 3.5" x 2" $100.00 $50.00 Advertisement (Color) Size (W x H) Pro Rate Fan Rate (50% discount) Half page (horizontal): 7.5” x 5” $400.00 $200.00 Full page (inside front or inside back cover): 7.5” x 5” $600.00 $300.00 Full page (color insert, center of booklet): 7.5” x 10” $560.00 $280.00 Legitimate non-profit fan organizations are eligible for a 50% discount off the pro rates. Please email your reservation request along with your advertising deadlines and specifications to bsfan@bsfs.org . Purchase two or more ads and receive an additional discount (please query). Publication Format for Ads: Two column format, 8.5” x 11" (W x H). Ads may run either vertically or horizontally. Please allow 1/2” border on all sides (please size ads to the above print specifications). Bleed to edge may be charged extra. Acceptable Printing Materials: Please provide camera-ready copy via one of the following methods (please include a SASE with adequate postage if you would like your materials returned; otherwise, they will be discarded after Balticon): PREFERRED: Email attachment (pdf, psd, png, jpeg) to bsfan@bsfs.org . A minimum of 300 dpi resolution is suggested for electronic files. Alternate sharing arrangements for large files (e.g., Dropbox, GoogleDrive) are available upon request. Portable media (readable on a Windows-based PC) mailed to the address below. Hardcopy, camera-ready and suitable for scanning, mailed to the address below. Closing Date: Final camera-ready copy must be received no later than April 30. Please query concerning other arrangements. Mailing Address: Balticon 60 Attn: Advertising PO Box 686 Baltimore, MD 21203-0686 Email Address: bsfan@bsfs.org Payment: Please make all monies payable in U.S. currency to: Balticon 60 An invoice will be automatically emailed unless other arrangements are made. Paypal: patti@bsfs.org . If payment is not received by the due date on the invoice, BSFS and Balticon reserve the right, at our discretion, to remove your ad from publication in the souvenir book. For more information on Balticon, visit: www.balticon.org . Balticon TM is a service mark of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. © 2026 Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc.

< Back Jim Butcher Author Guest of Honor Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado. Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990’s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist. All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.

< 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

< List of Vendors Sign of the Unicorn Dealer's Room Hand made jewelry in Science Fiction and Fantasy themes, mostly one-of-a-kind, in sterling silver and unusual semi-precious stones; commissions invited. http://laurietobyedison.net

< Back C.D. Brown Literary Author C.D. Brown is a writer and filmmaker from New Orleans. He edits and publishes the fantasy magazine Dirty Magick and is the author of the fantasy novels "Fate's Stiletto" and "Vamp City," along with the literary novel "Looking Back On Sodom" and one short story collection (both as Charles D. Brown). He has made two feature films (as Charlie Brown) and his short fiction has recently appeared in the anthologies "Aeon 2020," "Generation X-ed," and "Unicorns vs. Clowns in Hell." Over the past four years, he has directed "Escape From the Secret Lab," a live streaming musical game show featuring local New Orleans bands. He is a full-time instructor of First Year Writing at Tulane University and is a member of the Horror Writers Association. Other Socials

< Back Joshua Bilmes Literary Editor Joshua Bilmes is the President of JABberwocky Literary Agency, which he founded in 1994. His clients include NY Times bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson, Charlaine Harris, Peter V. Brett, Jack Campbell, Elizabeth Moon and Simon R. Green, multiple Compton Crook Award winners, Hugo Award winner Suzanne Palmer, and many other top names in sf and fantasy. His first convention as a pro was Balticon in 1989, and at the 2017 Balticon he started reading The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell. Reviewers have gone on to call Nick "the future of epic fantasy." He discovered Patrick Fitzgerald at Balticon in 2022, and Patrick's debut novel will be publishing just in time for next year's convention. Joshua watches lots of movies and lots of tennis when he isn't reading manuscripts, and hopes to discover another new client this year. Other Socials

< Back Nicole Givens Kurtz Literary Author Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called “a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Book Riot).” They’ve named her as one of the 6 Black SFF Indie Writers You Should be Reading, 30 Must-Read SFF Books by Black Authors, and The Best of the West: 8 Alternative History Westerns. She’s a two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award winner. With over 20 years in publishing, she’s written for Pseudopod, Fiyah, Apex Magazine, White Wolf, The Realm (formerly Serial Box), Subsume, and Baen. Nicole has over 50 published short stories and is the author of the Cybil Lewis and Death Violations cybernoir series as well as the Kingdom of Aves fantasy mystery series. She’s written the critically acclaimed, weird western anthology, Sisters of the Wild Sage: A Weird West Collection. She has conducted workshops for Clarion West online and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. She’s the editor for the groundbreaking SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire anthology. Other Socials

< List of Vendors Crit Harder Dealer's Room Our mission is to create fun, challenging, and inclusive games, while fostering creativity and a sense of community. Imminent Peril; Potions of Fidgeting; Geeky Arts and Crafts http://www.critharder.com