Choose a Name for Our New Column!
Our temporarily titled "location bio" will focus on the landscapes and locations of Middle-earth. We need your help naming it!
Challenges have been a part of the SWG since our group was formed in 2005. Before the archive, there were challenges. Before References or any special projects or B2MeM or any of the myriad things we've done over the last decade-plus, there were challenges. Challenges end and a new challenges is posted on the 15th of the month. (Yes, that means there is one thrilling day each month when there are two active challenges!) Participants—both authors and reviewers—will receive a stamp in their challenge stamp collection for their participation. Deadlines apply only if you want your fanwork to receive a stamp.
Every challenge that has ever been offered by the SWG is available for use by creators of fanworks who are looking for inspiration. Even if the deadline for stamps is passed, you are welcome to use the challenges listed on our site. And comments on past challenge fanworks are always welcome and always receive a reward for that month. Want to join us? Click to read the guidelines below!
The Tengwar are one of the delights of visiting Middle-earth as a fan of Tolkien's work. Whether a serious student of the letters; dabbling with them, Appendix open, on a lazy afternoon; or simply admiring the way they flow across a title page (or the One Ring …), most Tolkien fans find them beautiful and packed with meaning beyond what it seems should be contained within a single letter.
This month (and a bit beyond!), we will feature a prompt per day taken from the Tengwar chart. The prompt will include a graphic of the tengwa and its name in Quenya and English. You can use any part of the prompt: the tengwa itself, the name, the English translation, the graphic, or some other creative interpretation we haven't even dreamed up yet! You may do as many or as few of the daily prompts as you would like. One prompt is worth as much as challenging yourself to do them all, so work at the level and pace that is comfortable for you. (However, there may be a special reward for anyone ambitious enough to try them all!)
Prompts will be posted daily at midnight UTC on our website, Tumblr, Dreamwidth, and the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord. You do not need to do the prompt on the day it was posted; you can go back and do prompts you missed or do them out of order.
Thank you to Cuarthol and Anérea for the gorgeous banners and stamps this month!
View prompts for the Tengwar challenge.
Create a fanwork about the Petty-dwarves. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork where a character wishes upon or muses on the stars. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the publication of <em>The Silmarillion,</em> we hosted a writing contest for Silmarillion-based fiction. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about knowledge that is considered forbidden or taboo. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Write a fanwork that features dreams. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
In honor of our second birthday, we asked for fanworks about the second year of a character's life. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork focusing on a promise. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about how lembas is cultivated, made, or used. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about the separation of friends and family. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that shows how a character failed due to a weakness. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
What would happen if one of Tolkien's characters returned to a beloved home after a long absence? Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Explore the place and ideas behind one of the most mysterious locations on Arda, the halls of Mandos, or the ideas of Elven "death" and rebirth. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork in which a character tricks or plays a prank on another. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Incorporate elements of fantasy or magic into a fanwork. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about how something evil gave rise to something good. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork that is built around a color or colors. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about a hero, whether the typical saves-the-world type or the unlikely, unsung, and accidental, those who have been forgotten or perhaps were never noticed at all, who made their worlds a better place. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork as a gift to show thanks and appreciation for someone in the fandom. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create a fanwork about music. Challenge opened in . Read more ...
Create four fanworks, each of centered around a different one of the four elements. Challenge opened in . Read more ...