silwritersguild | July 2021 Challenge: Middle-earth Olympics

The Summer Olympics … a time when the world unites to cheer on their favorite teams in popular sports while pretending to understand the finer points of the more obscure events. Sports and games were likewise a part of the Legendarium, whether Galadriel's prowess as a swimmer, undertaken in Arda's salad days, or Maedhros's single-handed fencing skills and other militaristic exercises from Middle-earth's darker eras.

This month, in honor of the 20201 Summer Olympics and sport in Middle-earth, we present our own Olympic games! This month will feature a series of prompts that can be done as an individual or a team. Want to join a team? Sign-ups are open through July 16 to join a national team for your favorite group of characters from the Legendarium! To join a team, you must have an account (or be willing to have an account) on the SWG site. Individual participants do not need to sign up- just create something for the prompt(s) that interest you.

The opening ceremonies will be held on the SWG Discord Sunday July 18, at 15:00UTC. (Find out what date/time that is in your timezone.) In keeping with the Olympic spirit, we will host a live reading on the theme of cultural harmony.

There will also be closing ceremonies, to be held Sunday August 15 (time TBA). For the closing ceremony, challenge participants are encouraged to nominate other teams and individuals to be recognized for their positive contributions. Medals can be for absolutely anything, so notice what other participants are doing that you love or that makes the event - or the SWG or fandom as whole - a more friendly, supportive, and fun place to be.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 10 August 2021. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.