New Challenge: Twenty-Five
Twenty-five years ago, Tolkien fans gathered in theaters and the lights went dark and the first haunting notes of the soundtrack to The Fellowship of the Ring crescendoed as Galadriel intoned,
"The world is changed."
Indeed, for the Tolkien fandom, the world did change in that moment. The films breathed new life into books that were nearing their fifty-year anniversary and brought them to a new generation of fans. The simultaneous rise of personal internet access created the crucible for a mega-fandom, and Tolkien fans both old and new were happy to play their part. If not for the films, it is very likely that you would not be reading this now; the SWG is but one fannish outpouring that would probably not exist but for the films.
In November and December, we will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring into theaters. Each day, we will feature a famous quote or scene from the films—lines that did not appear in the book but have shaped Tolkien fandom and popular culture in the quarter-century since. Use one or more prompts to inspire a fanwork.
Note that all of the prompts are available in our prompt set, and you don't have to use the prompt of the day when you are creating your fanwork. You can look back or work ahead.
Remember that we are a "Silmarillion" archive. Fanworks should be substantially rooted in The Silmarillion; see our FAQ about how we define "Silmarillion" fanworks if you're not sure: How does the SWG define "Silmfic" or "Silmarillion-based fanworks"? However, our definition of "Silmarillion" fanworks is as expansive and inclusive as we can make it, and characters, settings, and details from The Lord of the Rings may well appear in a "Silmarillion" fanwork. We welcome multi-age works as well. To encourage fanworks that focus on the neglected Third Age of "Silmarillion" history, there are special stamps available for Third Age fanworks and fanworks that span multiple ages. Let a moderator know if you have earned one of these special stamps.
You can find the prompts for the Twenty-Five challenge here.
Thank you to silmalope for this month's banner and stamps!
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 January 2027. January is always an amnesty month where you can complete any challenge from the previous year and receive the stamp for it, so you can even stretch the deadline to 15 February 2027 and get one of silmalope's beautiful stamps! For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
Posted on (updated ) by SWG Moderators
