< Back Sebastien de Castell Author Guest of Honor Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defense against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien’s acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats was shortlisted for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy, the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Both series have been optioned for Film & Television and maybe we will see them onscreen soon. Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. For more information about author, visit his website .

< Back Galen Dara Artist Artist Galen Dara has created art for Uncanny Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, Fireside Fiction Magazine, Fantasy Flight Games, Subterranean Press, Tyche Books and Strange Horizons. She broke into the industry with an early Hugo Award win for Best Fan Artist in 2013, followed by nominations in 2014, 2017 and 2018 for Best Professional Artist. She won the 2016 World Fantasy award, a 2017 Spectrum Award, a 2017 Chesley Award and and has been nominated for the Locus Award. When Galen is not working on a project you can find her on the edge of the Sonoran Desert, climbing mountains and hanging out with a friendly conglomeration of human and animal companions. She’s on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @galendara. www.galendara.com Other Socials http://www.galendara.com

< Back Silvia Moreno-Garcia Author Guest of Honor HORROR World Fantasy Award Winner Locus Award Winner Hugo nominee 2023, The Daughter of Dr. Moreau Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of… The Seventh Veil of Salome Silver Nitrate The Daughter of Doctor Moreau Mexican Gothic …and many other books For more information about Ms. Moreno-Garcia, please visit her website .

Baltimore Gamer Symphony Orchestra Music Guest of Honor The Baltimore Gamer Symphony Orchestra (BGSO) was founded by Kira Levitzky in 2013 shortly after she graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, after a tenure in the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra. The BGSO performs orchestral arrangements of video game music for the enjoyment of the greater Baltimore community. Along with concerts, we have also worked alongside Baltimore City Schools, Gamescape at Artscape, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and Freefall Baltimore, among others, to provide musical enrichment programs such as instrument petting zoos and more. < Back

< Back Dr. Tom Holtz Science Scientist Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. is Principal Lecturer in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, adaptations, and behavior of carnivorous dinosaurs, and especially of tyrannosauroids (Tyrannosaurus rex and its kin). He received his Bachelors at Johns Hopkins in 1987 and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1992. He is also a Research Associate of the Department of Paleobiology of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and serves on the Scientific Council of Maryland Academy of Science (which operates the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD)). In addition to his dinosaur research, Holtz has been active in scientific outreach. He has been a consultant on museum exhibits documentaries. He is the author of the award-winning Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-To-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages (Random House). Apply now to join our Program Participants! Other Socials

< Back Dr. Inge Heyer Science Astronomer Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Inge Heyer completed her secondary education there before accepting a language scholarship to attend Tenri University (Japan). Later she moved to the US to earn an undergraduate degree in Astronomy and Physics, an M.S. in Astronomy, and a Ph.D. in Science Education. Over 20 years as professional astronomer Dr. Heyer worked as senior data analyst at the Space Telescope Science Institute, as deputy press officer for the American Astronomical Society, and as the public information officer at the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hawai`i. Dr. Heyer teaches astronomy and physics at Loyola University Maryland. She is co-author of seven books, including the Investigating Astronomy textbook which is used in many astronomy classes. And if you have ever wondered how those beautiful Hubble images got into science fiction series like Babylon-5 and Star Trek, here is the troublemaker who instigated this. Other Socials

< Back Jim Beall Science Engineer Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for over 50 years and an avid science fiction reader for even longer. His experience began as a naval officer aboard USS Long Beach (CGN-9), then design, construction, inspection, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). USNRC assignments included senior resident inspector and policy assistant for reactors to three different USNRC Commissioners, earning the agency’s Meritorious and Distinguished Service awards. Duties included research into alternative and speculative energy sources, including coal, oil, hydro, geothermal, tidal, solar, wind, fracking, space-based, heavy water reactors, breeder reactors, fusion, and even anti-matter. These studies supported reviewing energy proposals, assessing technical reports, and drafting speeches. JBIS, Elsevier, Baen Books, and the Interstellar Research Group have published several of his non-fiction articles. Other Socials

< Back Martin Wilsey Literary Author Martin Wilsey is a full-time author and creator of the bestselling SOLSTICE 31 SAGA. Mr. Wilsey's first novel, STILL FALLING, was published on March 31st, 2015. Less than three years and over half a million published words later, he retired from his career as a research scientist for a government-funded think tank. As a full-time science fiction writer, Mr. Wilsey still uses his research and whiteboard skills to keep the books flowing. He likes to put science back into science fiction. On his blog, he writes a weekly webcomic and shares his inspirations and views on life. In addition to writing, he has begun to expand his efforts into publishing through Tannhäuser Press, audio narration, and podcasting. Mr. Wilsey has more projects than he has time. Please feel free to email him and distract him even more. He and his wife, Brenda, live in Virginia with their cats, Brandy and Bailey, and his dog, Whiskey. Other Socials

Art Show Rules All Balticon Members are expected to follow our policies, so we can have a fun, safe convention together. General Guidelines Accepted Art How to Register General Guidelines Previous buyers are not permitted to resell works. Art sales do not include reproduction rights. Guidelines for Accepted Art The following media are acceptable for the MAIN ART SHOW: Paintings: acrylics, watercolor, oil Drawings: chalk, ink, crayon, pencil, dye Jewelry: all forms Sculpture: wood, stone, metal, clay, acrylics, glass, fabric Weaving and Textile: all hand forms and non-commercially produced Ceramics: hand and thrown ware; self‐created molded items limited to runs of 100, marked item# / run# Decorative Crafts: leather, metal, wood, glass, stone, plastic Fine Art Photography and Computer Generated Art: They must fit within the following guidelines and be labeled. Unique Image – Data Files Erased / Negative Destroyed, or Data / Negative Archived, or Limited Edition Print – Data Files Erased / Negative Destroyed, or Data / Negative Archived True Limited Editions / Multiple Original Category (With a print run of 250 or less): All hand-pulled prints, serigraphs, photographs, silk‐screens, etchings, lithographs, woodblocks must have the following clearly visible information written or printed on the print itself. Artist’s signature Title of the piece, Date Print# / Run# If you work in a medium not listed above, please reach out to artshowadmin@bsfs.com for more information. The Main Art Show will NOT accept the following: AI-generated art. Commercial multi‐lithographic copies, unlimited photoprints or photocopies of any kind, hand-colored or remarked prints. Commercial ceramic molds, painted commercially cast pieces, kits of any kind. The Print Shop WILL accept the following: Commercial multi‐lithographic copies, unlimited photoprints or photocopies of any kind, hand-colored or remarked prints. Items using patterns or designs by others must credit the second part Items that violate copyrights or which are judged to have libelous content in regard to known persons or well‐known characters will not be permitted. All decisions by the Art Show Directors on the eligibility of artwork are final. Please reach out to artshowadmin@bsfs.com if you have any questions. How to Register Be sure to read all of the Art Show Artist Guidelines to be fully informed on our process. Registration begins January 1st. Create a new account using the Artist Portal Artist Portal is our online site for artists and vendors to register for the Art Show. Through it, you can manage your personal information and fill out important documents like your control sheets and bid sheets. If you are a first time artist, please either include a URL to your website, Etsy, etc. or send photos of your art to artshowadmin@bsfs.com. If you are a returning artist, please ensure your personal information is up to date. If you are interested in mailing in your art rather than attending in person, please create your account as a MAIL-IN ARTIST. 4. Decide how much space you would like Balticon uses a space-based hanging fee system. Space is available on Panels and Tables. Tables are 6 feet long by 18 inches deep. For Tables, a Space is one quarter of a Table: 18 inches by 18 inches. Artists can reserve a whole Table or part of a Table in increments of Spaces. Panels are 6 feet wide by 4 feet high. Art Show panels and Print Shop panels are the same size. For Panels, a Space is one-third of a Panel; divided vertically: 24 inches wide by 4 feet high. Artists can reserve a whole Panel or part of a Panel in increments of Spaces. SPACE IS LIMITED: Attending artists can register for a maximum of 9 spaces, which can be a combination of tables, art show panels, and print shop panels. MAIL-IN ARTISTS can register for a maximum of 4 spaces, which can be a combination of tables, art show panels, and print shop panels. There is a maximum of 75 pieces per artist . 5. Calculate the cost ART SHOW HANGING FEES Panel Space Table Space MAIL-IN HANDLING FEE is $8 6. Register and make your payment DO NOT attempt to register or pay through email. Selecting MAIL-IN ARTIST will automatically filter the specific information needed for mail-in artists Please DO NOT email CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. If you wish to pay by CHECK, please contact the art show director at artshowadmin@gmail.com Receipts for account creation and registration will be sent by email. Please check your spam filters if you do not receive an emailed receipt. 7. Once your registration has been accepted, fill out your control sheet [link to control sheet] If you are being REPRESENTED BY SOMEONE ELSE, such as an agent or other carrier, the artist must fill out and sign the Agent/Carrier section of the control sheet, or provide the agent/carrier with a letter from the artist authorizing the agent/carrier to represent them at Balticon 59. AFTER REGISTERING Website and BSFan Listing: If you would like us to print a link to your contact information and/or up to 10 lines (i.e., 200 words, 1100 characters) of biographical information on our website or BSFan souvenir book, please send that information to webmaster@balticon.org and bsfan@balticon.org with ARTIST BIO in the subject line Facebook Group You can communicate with other artists before, during, and after the convention through the Balticon Art Show Facebook Group.[LINK] MAIL-IN ARTISTS IMPORTANT: Balticon Art Show’s address is CHANGING. Keep your eyes peeled for updated PO BOX INFORMATION. Please make sure your art is postmarked no later than Friday, May 16, 2025 to allow for shipping delays. DURING THE CONVENTION The Art Show opens to the public at 5pm on Friday, and runs until 5pm Sunday. Artist Check-In Artist check-in begins at noon on Friday. We do not have space to store packing materials or portfolios in the Art Show. Artist Check-Out Artist check-out begins at 3pm on Sunday and ends at 5pm on Sunday. Please have your art packs and ready to check out between 3pm and 5pm on Sunday. AFTER THE CONVENTION All PAYMENTS TO ARTISTS will be made by check. All checks will be mailed within 60 DAYS or the artist will be contacted concerning unreconciled paperwork. Unsold MAIL-IN ART will be shipped within 10 days after the convention. DISCLAIMER: Art Show Directors reserve the right to make changes or interpretations under unforeseen circumstances. Special requests, problems, or inquiries please CONTACT artshow@balticon.org Dimensions (width by height) Space Fees ⅓ Panel (2ft by 4ft) 1 $11.00 ⅔ Panel (4ft by 4ft) 2 $17.00 Full Panel (6ft by 4ft) 3 $22.00 Dimensions (width by depth) Spaces Fees Full Table (6ft by 18in) 4 $17.00 ¾ Table (4.5ft by 18in) 3 $14.00 ½ Table (3ft by 18in) 2 $10.00 ¼ Table (18in by 18in) 1 $7.00 Artist Portal