Compton Crook Award

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. The award, also known as the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award, has been presented since 1983. 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.

From the Wikipedia article “Compton Crook Award”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Check the official rules of the Compton Crook Award for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.