New Year's Resolution

SWG Challenge - Resolution - annual SWG amnesty challenge - 1 January through 15 February 2026

A new year often brings resolutions to achieve big changes. Our Resolutions challenge is much more moderate: reach for a creative achievement, no matter how small. Maybe it is a single drabble, a sketch, or a new chapter—the point is to begin a new year with an act of creativity and imagination!

Our annual amnesty allows you to pick from any of the previous year’s challenges. You do not need to use a new prompt to be eligible for this challenge. Participants can choose to complete any of the previous year's challenges. Did you miss a challenge you wanted to complete? Do it now. Did you start a fanwork for a challenge but never completed it? Here is your chance to finish. If you didn't leave any unrealized or unfinished projects behind you (congratulations!), choose from any of our 2025 challenges and start something new. (For a summary of the 2025 challenges and direct links, see the Challenge Prompts section below!)

You will receive a stamp on your 2025 collection for any challenges that you complete now, as well as a stamp for the New Year's Resolution challenge on your 2026 collection. When you post to the SWG archive, please make sure you select the 2025 challenge you're completing and the New Year's Resolution challenge.

To help the mods correctly process stamps for this challenge, contact us if you complete the following, which receive special stamps:

  • feature a character of color in a Dark Matter fanwork
  • feature a female character in a Musicals fanwork
  • the Difficult-level challenge for Period Drama
  • feature an LGBTQIA+ character in a Gates of Summer fanwork
  • feature a character with a disability in a Swinging 40s fanwork
  • row, column, diagonal, or card blackout for Kids These Days

This month's banner and stamps use images from the 18th-century “Chinese Arabesques” by Jean-Baptiste Pillement and Anne Allen, which plays with the theme of striving to reach the fantastical.

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Prompts

Choose your prompt from the collection below.

View Prompts

February | Dark Matter 
Create a fanwork using anti-prompts: prompts that don't appear in your fanwork.

March | Birthday Bash 
Daily word, image, and poetry prompts are loosely structured around events and milestones leading up to our 20th birthday.

April | Musicals 
Craft a fanwork inspired by songs from musicals.

May | Period Drama 
A Matryoshka challenge where prompts are inspired by common tropes found in period dramas and historical fiction.

June | Gates of Summer 
Create a fanwork based on prompts about summer taken from Tolkien's life, canon events, and quotes from his letters and stories.

July | Swinging 40s 
Choose a prompt from a list of music, films, novels, inventions, and more from the 1940s.

August | Kids These Days 
Create a fanwork using a bingo card of prompts based on common gripes about kids and teens.

September | Jumble Sale 
Member-created prompts upcycle old challenges and prompts with additional new twists.

October | The Only Thing to Fear 
Create a fanwork about fear that involves a prompt you select from our list of common fears.

November/December | Great Beleriand Bake-Off 
Ready? Set? Bake! Our two-month daily prompt calendar includes sweet- and savory-themed prompts as well as weekly comment challenges.

Fanworks Tagged with New Year's Resolution

This is a Writing fanwork

The Snake's Lesson by octopus_fool

On a walk with Findaráto, Findis learns about her nephew's fear, and decides to do something against it. 

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Do Not Remember by Zdenka

A Petrarchan sonnet on the ruins of Ost-in-Edhil.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

The Memory of Gold by Flora-lass

Gelmir (the brother of Gwindor) arrives in Mandos, hurting and bewildered and still blind. But there is help and comfort to be found - and to give.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Shadows of Long-Forgotten Summers by octopus_fool

Faramir makes his way through the Dead Marshes to find the Éothéod and is reminded of past summers with their leader, Marhgals.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Artwork fanwork

Beclouded by Anérea

Lake Mithrim from North Sinda's pov on a calm misty overcast day

Fanwork Information

This is a Artwork fanwork

Fading by Anérea

Sad fading Maglor on a stormy beach ...

Fanwork Information

This is a Artwork fanwork

A Glimpse of Túrin by Anérea

Abstract sketch from Tuor's pov of Túrin running through the dead trees at Eithel Ivrin after it was despoiled by Glaurung.

Fanwork Information

This is a Writing fanwork

As Easy as Baking Bread by octopus_fool

Hunleth returns to her people after receiving an education (and getting into a bit of trouble) in Nargothrond, only to realize that she doesn't even know the easiest practical skills, like baking bread.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Daughters of the Great by Himring

Araglas inherits the chieftainship of the Dunedain of Arnor upon his father's death. But Araglas has been living in Rivendell all this while. Meanwhile, his second cousin Arthiel has been acting as his father's right hand in the Angle.

Araglas comes up with a plan that stuns Arthiel and her lover.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

His Honor by Grundy

Drabble for the beginner prompts of Period Drama.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

The Way That She Died by AdmirableMonster

 Last night, the King’s Men put to death a large group of dangerous radicals in the Artists’ Quarter of Armenelos.  Caught only a few hours before their planned assassination attempt on Tar-Míriel, they forced our heroic enforcers to battle for their very lives.  Unfortunately, the splinter group of Faithful fanatics were unwilling to surrender peacefully.  A large number of weapons, including incendiary devices, were recovered from the basement of the house in which they had been planning their cowardly and devious attack. Although all of the royal guard survived, one of their number was carried to the local hospital with severe injuries; he is expected to recover.  
    Citizens are asked to report any unusual activity to the King’s Men. Now, more than ever, Númenor must stand together against those who would destroy her.
    —Short Bulletin in the Armenelos Times, Year 11 of the reign of Ar-Pharazôn

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Of Daub and Displacement by Isilme_among_the_stars

Spurred on by the tribulations of endless rain and a leaky tent, Maglor and Maedhros find a house for Elrond, Elros and themselves to live in. However, moving is complicated by the emergence of memories of home, and a scare from Elros.

Written for the SWG's New Year's Resolution Amnesty and March Challenge: Birthday Bash for the prompt word 'displaced' and the poem:

Yesterday I lost a country.
I was in a hurry,
and didn't notice when it fell from me
like a broken branch from a forgetful tree.
I Was in a Hurry by Dunya Mikhail, translated by Elizabeth Winslow

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Amon Rûdh by Flora-lass

A rather emotional Beleg-comes-back-to-Túrin acrostic.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Spider Type by Babblecat

Eru banishes Melkor outside the world...very far outside the world.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Animal Farm by Babblecat

Like Germany at one point or another, Melkor turns over a new leaf (for real, no jokes) and gets himself a tradwife. 

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Bloom by Elrond's Library

Idril begins her courtship of Tuor with food.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Of Ships and Sealing Wax by Grundy

Finarfin in a thoughtful moment on the way to the War of Wrath.

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This is a Writing fanwork

Kids These Days by Babblecat

Ungoliant's brood cause her annoyance as they grow up and turn into normies.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Tidings by Himring

In Gondor, late in the Second Age, an inhabitant of Pelargir hears the tidings of the fall of Minas Ithil to Sauron's surprise attack.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Wake, Butterfly by Babblecat

Melkor turns over a new leaf, and finds a spider.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

The Numenorean Frying Pan by Babblecat

Elros is famous for one thing above all.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

Under Granite Skies by AdmirableMonster

A Dwarf on vacation with their lover must contend with an unusual encounter in the middle of the night.

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This is a Artwork fanwork

Fare alone as she would by Anérea

Aredhel wanders through Nan Elmoth

Fanwork Information

This is a Writing fanwork

Fear of Falling by elennalore

Maedhros stands at the battlements of Himring and faces Thangorodrim.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents

This is a Writing fanwork

The Day I Became a God by aSymphonyofDeadMen

On the day I became a god the darkness of the night sky shone as bright as the future ahead of me - swallowing whole what shan't have been for alms were a currency owned by the rich...

...or a gift too many during the crossing of the Helcaraxë.

Fanwork Information and Table of Contents