The Baltimore Science Fiction Society has announced (via File 770) its slate of six finalists for the annual Compton Crook Award, which honors the best genre work from a debut author.
The award was first established by the BSFS in 1983, and is handed out during the society’s annual convention, Balticon, the Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. The award was established to honor fantasy author Stephen Tall, who wrote under the name Compton Crook.
Here are this year’s finalists:
- Architects of Memory by Karen Osbourne
- Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis
- Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
- Docile by K.M Szpara
- The Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin
- The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Prior winners of the award include Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire, 2020), R.F. Kuang (The Poppy War, 2019), Nicky Drayden (The Prey of Gods, 2018), Ada Palmer (Too Like Lightning, 2017), Fran Wilde (Updraft, 2016), and others.
The winner of the award is presented with a plaque, a cash reward of $1000, and is invited to attend Balticon on the society for two years.
This year’s award will be presented at this year’s virtual Balticon during this year’s Memorial Day Weekend (May 28th-31st). You can register at their website to get email updates on everything that’s going on at the convention!
