Around the World and Web includes announcements and items of interest from beyond the SWG.
Ainur Week 2026
Ainur Week will be returning from November 16 to 22, 2026.
Glorthelion Week 2026
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
Hello everyone and welcome to another year of Glorthelion week! An entire week dedicated to Glorfindel and Ecthelion relationship.
The event will run on Tumblr from November 16th to November 22nd. All creations are welcome, as long as it is created by you. Don't forget to tag #glorthelionweek and mention the blog (to make sure I can see your creation in case tags don't work).
Prompts are not mandatory! You can follow them, be inspired by them or let your imagination go wild and create whatever you want! Event rules can be found here.
Prompts 2026:
↳ Day one: A Glance across the Square | The Bells of Festivals | Gifts of the Heart
↳ Day two: Words in the Dark | Following the Star | The Weight of the Sword
↳ Day three: Silver and Gold | Sun and Moon | The Roar of the Waterfall
↳ Day four: Silver Flutes | The Language of Flowers | Water Mirrors
↳ Day five: A Final Glance | Entrusted Secrets | "I will find you again"
↳ Day six: Ashes and Sorrow | Waiting in Mandos | Forever Changed
↳ Day seven: Beyond the Circles of the World | Constellations | The Promise Kept
Happy creating!
Nolofinwëan Week 2026
Nolofinwëan week welcomes fan creations centering any members of the House of Fingolfin and their descendants through the ages.
Nolofinwëan week welcomes fan creations centering any members of the House of Fingolfin and their descendants through the ages.
To Participate:
- Create fanfiction, fanart, headcanons, close readings and musings, moodboards, photography, rec lists or anything else that inspires you to celebrate Nolofinwëan characters.
- Mention the blog @nolofinweanweek in your post and include the hashtag #nolofinweanweek2025 in the first 10 tags.
- If you would like, add your work to the AO3 collection.
- Take inspiration from the nonmandatory daily prompts.
- Complete one or more of the community challenges.
Rules & Requirements:
- There are no minimum or maximum requirements; anything goes!
- There are no content restrictions or rules on tagging beyond what AO3 requires of you. If you post to tumblr and your fill is Mature or Explicit, and/or falls under one of AO3’s major warnings, please provide tagging on your post, though!
- That said, please refrain from using genAI.
- This fest operates firmly under the premises of ‘don’t like; don’t read,’ ‘ship and let ship’ and ‘your kink is not my kink but that’s okay’ (if you’re unfamiliar with these concepts, see this post). We will not tolerate any shaming, harassment, or attempts to police content.
The mod runs on CET, but folks can post content or interact with the blog at their convenient time.
All prompts are non-obligatory—feel free to interpret as loosely or closely, to cross-match, or to ignore altogether!
Day 1: It Was But a Dream
- Characters: Turgon, Anairë, Idril
- Silmarillion Phrase: “poured forth their joy in music and song”
- Inspirational art:
Amber Fort, Jaipur #1 Photograph by Inger Hogstrom
Day 2: Breath of Darkness
- Characters: Elenwë, Argon
- Silmarillion Phrase: “there was now no returning”
- Inspirational art:
The Night Is Stirring (Anger) by Zao Wou-Ki
Day 3: Light Splinters the Sky
- Characters: Eöl, Eärendil, Gil-galad
- Silmarillion Phrase: “as a naked flame”
- Inspirational art:
Day 4: Embraced in the Mist
- Characters: Fingon, Aredhel
- Silmarillion Phrase: “green things even among the pits and broken rocks”
- Inspirational art:
Shan-Shui style painting by Yang Tianyou
Day 5: Flames Arising in Might
- Characters: Fingolfin, Maeglin
- Silmarillion Phrase: “shadows of madness and despair”
- Inspirational art:
Burning the Slums of Nairobi by Kiure Francis Msangi
Day 6: The Sea’s Embrace
- Characters: Elros, Elwing, Tuor
- Silmarillion Phrase: “still hope may seem bright”
- Inspirational art:
Moon Trace Art Installation by Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
Day 7: New Beginnings; Old Longings
- Characters: Elrond, Celebrían, Peredhil Descendants
- Silmarillion Phrase: “love would lead me”
- Inspirational art:
14th International Tolkien Mailing Competition
The Hungarian Tolkien Society invites you to join the international “Quendi” category of the Tolkien Mailing Competition: five rounds of quizzes, riddles and creative tasks. This category is organised in English, open to any individual participant, and also to teams of 2–5 people. The five rounds of the competition will last from November to April. Application deadline: 5 November, 2026.
The Tolkien Mailing Competition ("TLV" abbreviated from its Hungarian equivalent "Tolkien Levelező Verseny") takes place for the 21st time this year—and it is international for the 14th time. In the first years it was organised only in Hungarian, and only for groups of Hungarian students aged 10–18-years. As many people above this age group became interested in the competition, we launched a separate category for individuals in Hungarian, and at the same time we decided to go international. The outcome was definitely encouraging. In the past few years the international Quendi category had many participants (and for a while even an organiser) from various foreign countries: you can see here the final results of the previous competition.
(Click here for the Hungarian article about all categories.)
In the international Quendi category both the challenges and the communication will be entirely in English—but you don't have to be perfectly fluent in English for taking part in the competition. You only have to be able to understand the texts by Tolkien, and maybe to write a story or an essay—it does not have to be of academic level. The competition was originally devised for middle and high school students, and we did not make big changes in the style, but it is open to anybody who feels young enough for it. You can always choose to count your years by Elvish standards!
Participation in the Quendi category requires a thorough knowledge of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Other works by Tolkien may be needed occasionally, as some questions (riddles, quizzes, etc.) can refer to those, but you will have about four weeks for each round, that is, plenty of time to look up in the books everything you might need.
Besides the quizzes, there will be creative challenges. For example, you may be asked to describe a situation, write a short poem, make a drawing or take a photograph, etc. We would like to be proud of our participants, so we ask you to share the rights of your creative productions royalty-free (and you accept this condition by your registration for the competition). Your works—with due credit to authors/artists—might be published by the Hungarian Tolkien Society, e.g. on our website, www.tolkien.hu, or in our journal, the Lassi Laurië. (You can read about Lassi Laurië in English here.) Please do not publish these works yourself without consulting us first, and especially not before the end of the competition. (Artwork submitted by teams is credited as teamwork by default, but you can add the name of the actual author/artist for each piece.)
You can participate in the Quendi category alone as an individual competitor, or you can participate as a member of a team of 2–5 people. The individual competitors and the teams will receive the same set of tasks, but the winner will be announced separately for individuals and teams.
As an individual competitor, you can make the decision to solve only the quizzes or only the creative tasks in each round: besides the absolute winners of the individual and team subcategories, the separate winners of the lexical and the creative parts will also be announced. This choice is only available for individual competitors, teams are expected to do the full version!
We will go on with the team competition only if we receive at least 5 applications from teams. If we have to cancel the team competition, team members will have the opportunity to compete on their own or to withdraw their application. There is also a maximum limit of 60 competitors (individuals and teams counted together) in the Quendi category (and we got quite close to this limit last year).
The contest starts in November and continues until April. Every month you will receive the questions of the next round (five rounds overall), and you will have to submit your solutions until the indicated deadline (you will have about four weeks for each round). Communication is done via e-mail. Our e-mail address is tlv[at]tolkien.hu: questions and comments are always welcome there. We are happy to answer all your questions about the competition—except disclosing the solutions of the actual tasks.
Not submitting your solutions for two consecutive rounds means quitting the competition.
There will be no prizes in the international category, only the public announcement of your achievement and a certificate sent by e-mail. There is no registration fee, either.
If you want to participate, please fill in this online registration form.
Registration as an individual competitor: choose the “I am competing alone.” option on the form.
Registration as a team: each team member should fill in a registration form separately, choose the “I am a member of a team of 2-5 people.” option, and provide the same team name. We also need a contact person for each team. Please agree on a unique team name and choose a contact person from the team before starting the registration.
You should see an automatic confirmation message after the successful registration, but if you are in doubt about the success of your registration, ask the organisers via e-mail whether they have received your registration or not! You should receive the first round of tasks during the week after the application deadline. If you do not receive it, write to us!
The application deadline is:
5 November, 2026
Tolkien Food Week 2026
Tolkien food week 2026 themes
2nd of November- Dùnedain travel food
3rd Nov- plant-based
4th Nov- hobbit hole recipes
5th Nov - Elven feasts
6th Nov - at the Prancing pony
7th Nov- Dwarven banquets
8th Nov - at the Valar's table 🦅
Fics, recipes, ficlets, art, photos, polls, crack... have fun
These are mere suggestions ofc, you absolutely can post when you want on theme or not 😉
(Headers/banners here if you want)
The White Oliphaunt 2026
Sign ups will open on November 1st, 2026. See the blog linked in this announcement for more details.
Around the World and Web Archive
Events listed here are no longer active but are listed on the site for historical purposes.
Glorfindel Week 2026
Hi, Tolkien fandom! @glorfindelweek is back and will be taking place from October 26 to November 1, 2026!
Silmarillion Secret Stockings 2026
Welcome to Silmarillion Secret Stockings.
A fandom event to celebrate the end of year holidays with prompt-based gifts. Who has never wished for a few cheeky elves in their stockings, or a dragon by the fireplace? This is a low-pressure, all-are-welcome event where you can propose prompts and fill people’s stockings with all that Silmarillion goodness!
2026 Schedule:
- Sign-ups: October 26th - November 1st
- Creation period: November 1st - December 30th
- Deadline: December 30th, 9pm UTC
- Work reveals: January 1st, 9pm UTC
- Creator reveals: January 8th, 9pm UTC
Rules, requirements and FAQ: here
You are welcome to join the Lost Tales Community Discord server to get in contact with the mods and other participants! While this is not mandatory (you are just as welcome to reach out to us on Tumblr), we'd love to have you!
Tolkien Horror Week 2026
Tolkien Horror Week is back for another year of celebrating all the terrifying and unsettling bits of Tolkien's work! The event will run from October 25–31 and accepts all types of fanworks. There is an AO3 collection for the event here.
Below are some suggested prompts for each day of the week. They are not mandatory; feel free to combine them or disregard them entirely.
Day 1: Angband, Utumno, and Tol-in-Gaurhoth | older and fouler things | made and unmade
Day 2: Angmar, Minas Morgul, and Númenor | like shades of night | devoted and damned
Day 3: Mordor and the Dead Marshes | a dark cloud of fear | dead and undead
Day 4: The Barrow-downs and the Old Forest | out of the mist | awake and asleep
Day 5: Mirkwood, Nan Elmoth, and Taur-nu-Fuin | the depths of the wood | hunter and hunted
Day 6: Nan Dungortheb, Ered Gorgoroth, and the Girdle of Melian | weaving webs of shadow | light and unlight
Day 7: Isengard, Moria, and the Paths of the Dead | the deep places of the world | sworn and forsaken
Please mention @tolkienhorrorweek in the body of your post and tag #tolkienhorrorweek and #tolkienhorrorweek2026 in the first 10 tags. You may also submit a post. Please tag any content warnings/gore and place any NSFW content beneath a read more/link to AO3.
For more information, see the FAQ. If you have any questions, drop them in the ask box.
Curufinrod Day 2026
Welcome to Curufinrod Day 2026!
When: October 18th
How: FAQ
Prompts:
-> Pre-Darkening of Valinor
-> On Mithrim's Shores
-> Himlad & Nargothrond
-> Nauglamir
-> LaCE & Kink
Tags: curufinrod day26 | @ the blog directly!
Teitho Challenge October/November
Our prompt for October/November is OATHS.
Oaths play a huge role in Tolkien’s works. We see them referenced in almost every story, usually with significant effects and repercussions.
From Fingolfin’s vow of loyalty to his brother, to the doomed Oath of Fëanor, to Finrod’s oath to Barahir and his kin, to the broken oath at the Stone of Erech—these are just a few of the examples that are found in the texts. Many of these oaths, though sworn in earnest, have unintended consequences and often dire results.
But some oaths, such as the Oath of Eorl, have long-standing positive effects that benefit and strengthen relationships and those affected by the oath.
Oaths are taken very seriously by the characters in Tolkien’s works and are portrayed as weighty by the author as well. The words, intentions, and repercussions matter. And the effects reverberate. We see how reluctant Elrond is force any oaths on the Fellowship, when Gimli brings the subject up as they bid farewell to Rivendell. Elrond is very cognizant of how oaths can bind and unite but also cause deep and lasting harm.
Oaths, vows, deeply personal promises—which one will you choose to explore for this month’s prompt? An oath that strengthens and positively affects its participants or one that takes a dark and unexpected twist?
We can’t wait to see where this prompt takes you! Please submit your stories or art to teitho.contest@gmail.com by October 31, 2026.
Trans Tolkien Exchange 2026
2026 Schedule:
September 30 - Signups open October 6 - Signups close at 11:59 PST October 9 - Assignments sent out November 18 - Default deadline November 28 - Works due at 11:59pm PST December 5 - Works revealed
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For FAQs and the rules of the exchange, check out this post!
This event if being run by @arofili! If you have event-related questions, please email me at t4tolkien@gmail.com or send an ask to this blog!
SIGN UP FOR THE TRANS TOLKIEN EXCHANGE HERE! (form will open on September 30)
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Interested in transness & gender diversity in the Legendarium, but not in an exchange format? Check out our Trans Tolkien Fest co-event!
Oritober 2026
ORITOBER
A gen and safe for work event celebrating Middle Earth's favorite dwarf scribe!
The event will run for the entirety of October 2026, from the 1st to the 31st.
Guidelines:
- No hate speech
- No AI of any kind
- No NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content
- No overt ship content
*As a rule of thumb, if it would be considered "Gen" on AO3, then it is "Gen" here!
*Familial and Platonic relationships are acceptable!
*No incest, please!
Tolkien Oritober 2026
1. Journey
2. Books
3.Ceremony
4. Craft
5. Gifts
6. Quill
7. Music
8. Hair
9. Knitwear
10. Family
11. Friends
12. Childhood
13. Moria
14. Jewelry
15. Animal
16. Khuzdul
17. Purple
18. Candles
19. Food
20. Magic
21. Illness
22. Hug
23. Anger
24. Names
25. Games
26. Joy
27. Tears
28. Weapons
29. Alternate Universe
30. Holiday
31. Free Space
Erestober 2026
What is Erestober? Erestober is an annual event running from October 1st - 31st, to encourage any and all fanworks featuring Erestor, chief counsellor of Imladris!
Why is Erestober? Because I saw an event called "Erostober," misread the name, and then got disappointed when I realised it wasn't about Erestor, so, here we are.
How do I participate in Erestober? You simply create fanwork - fic, art, meta, anything you can think of - featuring Erestor and post it during the month! For further information regarding permissible content, see the rules & guidelines below. No sign-up of any kind required.
How do I post my creations? If you want your submission to be shared on this blog, simply post it on tumblr and tag @erestober. There is an Ao3 collection as well where you can post submissions, and if you do not want to post on tumblr or would prefer to remain anonymous, you can post it on a platform of your choice and send an ask with the link to this blog and I will share it!
Do I have to create something every day? No! Create as much or as little as you like.
Will there be prompts? Yes! The prompts for 2026 will be announced sometime in summer.
Do I have to follow the prompts? Not at all! The prompts are meant as inspiration only, and if they don’t inspire you, feel free to do something else. And you do not have to follow the prompts in order, either - swapping or combining prompts is perfectly fine, as is ignoring them altogether.
Can I combine creations for Erestober with other events, such as Inktober? Sure!
Can I post something I've created in the past? Go for it! The more Erestor the merrier.
Can I post unfinished creations? Absolutely! Tolkien had Unfinished Tales, and so can we.
Can I post creations for Erestober after the event is over? Sure! Just keep in mind that I likely won't be checking the blog daily after the month is over, so it might be a while until your submission gets shared - if it hasn't been reblogged after a few weeks, feel free to send a DM or ask to @maglor-my-beloved.
What about dark or NSFW creations? Dark and NSFW content is welcome, as long as it is appropriately tagged. If you do not want to see such content, it is up to you to take the necessary steps to curate your experience - harassment of creators will not be tolerated.
Why have you not reblogged my post? Tumblr's notifications can be unreliable, so if you used the tag #erestober and tagged this blog (@erestober) and your post has not been reblogged after 24h, please send an ask or DM with the link and I will share it!
Rules & Guidelines
- Please be kind and respectful! Hate and bigotry will not be tolerated.
- Be respectful of other people's ideas/headcanons/interpretations - it is up to you to curate your own experience, don't like, don't read.
- NSFW and dark content is welcome, but please use the appropriate warnings & tags and put graphic content under a cut.
- Any form of fanwork is welcome - fics, art, meta, playlists, moodboards, and whatever else you come up with, as long as it features Erestor. AI generated work is not permitted!
- Use the tag #erestober on your event submissions and/or tag this blog (@erestober) directly - I will try to reblog everything, but tumblr is notoriously difficult, so if your post has not been reblogged after 24h, feel free to send an ask or DM with the link!
Feel free to send any further questions, comments or suggestions as an ask to this blog!
Prompts
October 1st-7th
Erestor his kinsman (a man of the same half-elvish folk known as the children of Luthien)
Origins | Relationships | Family
October 8th-14th
Erestor, counsellor of Elrond
Life | Lore | Loyalty
October 15th-21st
The Ring should be destroyed; but we cannot destroy it, save by the perilous journey to the Fire. What strength or cunning have we for that task?’
Wisdom | Cunning | Strength
October 22nd-28th
Then there are two courses,’ said Erestor, ‘and both are without hope. Who will read this riddle for us?’
Hope | Despair | Uncertainty
October 29th-31st
especially since the inclusion of Erestor ‘half-elf’ took the number to eight.
Erestor in the Fellowship
Silm Smut Week 2026
A fandom event celebrating sexually explicit fanworks based on the The Silmarillion and related legends — now in its fourth year!
September 28 to October 4, 2026 (Monday to Sunday)
The aim of Silm Smut Week is to foster a positive, inclusive, and fun culture around the creation and enjoyment of smut, porn, and erotica.
Themes and Prompts (Mobile) | Event Directory
How to Participate
- Create something that narrates, depicts, or considers sexual activity involving the characters of the Silmarillion.
- Post it on Tumblr and/or add it to the AO3 Collection and mention this blog (@silmsmutweek) and tag #silmsmutweek2026.
- We will reblog posts daily.
- If you do not see your post reblogged after 24 hours, please send us an ask or DM mods @polutrope or @ettelene.
- The themes and prompts for each day are just suggestions. You can post anything any day of the week and we will reblog it.
- Late submissions for the event are welcome and we will try to reblog those as well but cannot guarantee that we will.
- Engage with other creators! Enjoy their works!
All genres, tropes, and kinks are welcome, as are all forms of creative of engagement (writing, art, meta, headcanons, playlists, podfics, etc.) with the Silmarillion and the Silmarillion fandom.
2026 Silm Smut Week Prompts
Daily prompts are never obligatory. You may use one, three, all (?!), or none. You may combine prompts from different days. You may ignore them and write whatever you want.
This year, flowers are the theme. Do with these what you will! Dig deep into flower symbolisms, do some image searches and find a vibe, discover flower name etymologies (did you know orchid comes from the ancient Greek for testicle?), or disregard the daily themes altogether.
Prompts/Suggestions are a handful of topics, tropes, kinks, ship and relationship types to consider for that day.
Nouns of the Day can feature in you creation or simply act as inspiration.
Challenges are daily ideas on how to approach a new creation.
Throwbacks are an extra set of daily prompts from past years of Silm Smut Week.
Daily Prompts
Click the links to find each day’s prompt collection.
Day 1: Lily (Mon, Sept 28)
Day 2: Carnation (Tues, Sept 29)
Day 3: Rose (Weds, Sept 30)
Day 4: Violet (Thurs, Oct 1)
Day 5: Orchid (Fri, Oct 2)
Day 6: Rhododendron (Sat, Oct 3)
Day 7: Poppy (Sun, Oct 4)
Not moved to create by this year’s prompts? Take a look at the prompts from 2023, 2024, and 2025!
LotR Week 2026
LOTRWEEK is back for 2026! Mark your calendars for a week-long event on 21st-27th September to share our love and creativity for Lord of the Rings.
LOTRWEEK 2026 prompts:
Day 1 (21st Sep): beginnings | character | but it is not your own shire
Day 2 (22nd Sep): hobbit day | free day
Day 3 (23rd Sep): the past | adventure | don't the great tales never end?
Day 4 (24th Sep): the future | estel | courage is found in unlikely places
Day 5 (25th Sep): journey | heroism | I will take the ring, though I do not know the way
Day 6 (26th Sep): change | fellowship | for not all tears are an evil
Day 7 (27th Sep): endings | healing | sitting by a wall in the sun, laughing at old grief
See the FAQs for more info (and the extended quotes for the prompts if you'd like), and have fun!
