The Compton Crook Award is presented by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) to the year's best English language debut novel in the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres, as voted by its members.
BSFS confers the award at their annual science fiction convention, Balticon, held in Baltimore on Memorial Day weekend.
[1][2][3] Compton Crook, who wrote under the name of Stephen Tall, was a long-time Baltimore resident, Towson University professor, and science fiction author who died in 1981.
The list of eligible books is published in the monthly newsletter so that all club members will have a chance to read and vote.
The invitation to Balticon is intended in part as a professional networking opportunity for the new author.