Announcing The Baroness Award
In honor of Terry Baucom
Applications are now closed
MystiCon has always believed in investing in the next generation of creators, dreamers, and community builders. Since our first year, we have held a scholarship auction, with all proceeds going directly to a high school senior or college freshman pursuing their education.
While the guaranteed award has traditionally been 500 dollars, the generosity of our attendees has always pushed that amount higher. In fact, the lowest award we have ever given was 1700 dollars, entirely funded by the auction’s success.
This year, we are honored to announce a meaningful evolution of that tradition.
In loving memory of Terry Baucom, owner of B&D Comics, long-time supporter, and cherished member of our fandom family, the scholarship will now be known as The Baroness Award.
Terry’s creativity, kindness, and unwavering commitment to the local community made her a force of nature. Her presence shaped the Roanoke fan community for decades, and her loss is deeply felt.
With great gratitude, B&D Comic Shop will now sponsor The Baroness Award, raising the scholarship’s guaranteed base amount to 1,000 dollars. The final award will continue to include all proceeds from the scholarship auction, allowing our community to uplift a young scholar in Terry’s honor each year.
We are proud to celebrate Terry’s legacy in a way that continues her spirit of generosity, imagination, and support for emerging voices.
The Baroness lives on in every student who dares to dream bigger because of her.
SCHOLARSHIP SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
MystiCon will be offering one merit scholarship for original and creative works in creative writing, art and/or media. The scholarship is available to Virginia High School seniors graduating in the 2025-2026 school year or 2025-2026 college Freshman. The award amount is a minimum of $1000.
WRITING SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES
- No limit on entries per applicant. For each entry you wish to submit, please fill out the submission form.
- Entries must be science fiction, horror or fantasy themed.
- Each entry may not exceed 3000 words in length.
- Electronic submissions in pdf, doc, docx, rtf only.
ART / MEDIA SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES
- No limit on entries per applicant. For each entry you wish to submit, please fill out the submission form.
- Entries must be science fiction, horror or fantasy themed.
- Electronic submissions in mp3, wma, mpg, jpg,
- Original artwork must be presented at convention
- Please limit file sizes to 10 MB. If this is file size is too small, please include a link to the file in additional information
JUDGING AND NOTIFICATION
- Entries must be submitted by December 31, 2025. We will not accept late entries.
- A panel of judges made up of professional artists, writers and teachers chosen by the scholarship department will review each entry. The judges’ decisions are final.
- Plagiarized entries are subject to immediate disqualification (Don’t cheat!)
- AI assisted entries not eligible and will be disqualified.
- Winners will be notified, and an announcement be made at the convention. Winners must provide enrollment status.