Good morning, cyberspace! The return of the Silmaril Awards is officially here, and I have once again subjected my home and mental state to being an Awards Host…
I’ve hosted the Silmaril Awards thrice now. Once for Most Nefarious Villain, once for Wisest Counselor, and once for Most Mischievous Imp. I’ve gotta say, shoving all of the world’s most fantastic villains, counselors, and imps in one home isn’t exactly the smartest endeavor… They say there is safety in numbers, but I would beg to question whether or not the author of that famous quote had a group of imps shoving whoopie cushions under their pillow every night…
Interested in my past Silmaril Posts? You can read them here!
This year, however, we are diving into the unknown with the creatures we’ve been elected (er…chosen…) to host…
Buuuuut, I can’t tell you what that is quite yet. Today, we are simply announcing the return of the Silmarils and answering a few FAQ’s for the newbs!
RETURN OF THE SILMARILS
FAQ
Q1 – What is the Silmaril Awards?
The Silmaril Awards–dubbed, of course, after the beautiful Silmarils of Tolkien’s imagining–was created 9 years ago by our wonderful Awards Minstrels, Jenelle Schmidt and DJ Edwardson! These two incredible folks decided that it wasn’t enough to love and celebrate our favorite fantasy characters in the safe confines of our own hearts and minds… We needed to hype it all up a bit.
We needed an actual awards ceremony.
And thus the Silmaril Awards burst forth into existence! Part screaming fandoms, part Golden Globes for fictional characters, it is an exhilarating time to come together as a reading community and celebrate the characters who are the backbone and heartbeat of today’s fantasy!
Q2 – How do I participate?
You can participate in two ways! Firstly, you can nominate characters! This begins September 2nd! I’ll have a post here–with my designated character category, of course!–where you can nominate your favorite fantasy characters, second any characters who have already been nominated, and connect with your fellow Silmaril participants! Please note: only nominated characters who have been seconded are entered into the final round! This is important–so make sure you’re seconding, folks!
Q3 – How many characters can I nominate/second?
All of them.
No, really. There’s no cap on how many characters you can support in the nomination round! So get out there and fling those characters around like there’s no tomorrow!
A SMALL NOTE ON NOMINATION: remember that this aware is for fantasy characters in literature. That means that if the book your character is from is, say, a science fiction adventure, that character will not qualify for the Silmaril Award. However, if the book is a Sci-Fi Fantasy, the evil overlords… er… showrunners may decide that your book still counts! So when in doubt, ASK!
Also! This is the perfect chance to get those “lesser known” titles out into the great wide cyberwebs! Just because your fandom is small doesn’t mean it isn’t well-loved. Go ahead and nominate those nobodies and underdogs. We love to have them!
Q4 – Can I nominate my own characters?
Are you a writer with your own little cast of fantastical creations? Your characters are able to be nominated for the Silmarils! However, you may not, as the author, nominate your own characters. You can absolutely encourage readers to nominate and vote for your characters, though! So get out there and advocate for yourself, you little writer, you!
Q5 – What happens after nomination?
After nomination–in which every single character who gets nominated comes to stay for a small-town getaway at the home of the hosts–we have our official voting round. The form will be available on each of the host’s blogs, so you can access it with ease! This voting round is the hardest. You get one vote per category. While devastating when you have multiple characters you love, this narrows it down to our final victors! After nominations and the voting round close, we have our Awards Ceremony! These are–in my opinion–the best part of the Silmarils. And, subsequently, my absolute favorite part about being a host. You can check out my previous Awards Ceremonies here, here, and here!
Q6 – How many times can a character receive a Silmaril Award?
Silmaril Awards are known as lifetime awards. This means that once they get a Silmaril, they have the Silmaril for life! So pay close attention to which characters have already won Silms, and let some other characters share the spotlight… it’s only fair!
And I think that’s about it for FAQ’s! If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! You can comment below or email me directly at kenziekwrites@gmail.com–my inbox is always open!
Nominations begin NEXT MONDAY, so mark your calendars, start binging those books, and get ready to celebrate this year’s best in fantasy!
TALK TO ME, PEASANTS!
Have you participated in the Silmaril Awards before? What was your favorite Awards Ceremony to date? Let’s talk about all of the things below!
Mackenzie K. Writes 
Talk To Me, Peasants!