------ for Silmarillion-based fics and adjacent writings that stand out in any way conceivable by the participants------

The Committee offers all writers of Silmarillion-related texts of whatever kind the opportunity to participate in the fight for these prestigious awards. The buttons to go with these awards are shown below to the right. Nominate your fics and those of your friends, and see that you and they take home at least one of them!!
Buttons supplied by Adrienne, Chat Noir , Círdan and LadyElleth - thank you all!

The El(e)ven Rules:

1. All stories set in the period between the Creation of Eä and the End of the Second Age of Arda, or concentrating on persons/events from this period, are eligible. (NB: Regular LotR stories excepted: the mere presence of characters like Sauron or Galadriel doesn't turn a story into a Silmfic.) The same goes for reviews of said stories - be they praise, nitpicks or flames - and for rants.

2. The person who nominates a text needs to provide: A) a working URL; B) a short (one line) but relevant summary; C) if they are not the author: a statement that they have requested and received the author's permission; Failure to comply with Rule C will result in the disqualification of the perpetrator.

3. Multiple nominations of stories are not allowed. Any given story can only be nominated for a single category. The number of nominations per category is limited to a total of seven. If a category contains the maximum number of nominations, find or make up another one (see under 7).

4. The number of entries by one and the same author is also limited to a total of seven. The use of alternative author's names is allowed as long as the author isn't found out.

5. Nominations need to fit the category for which they are submitted. The judges will decide whether this is the case. Authors of rejected stories will be offered one chance to pick a different category. All nominated stories will be linked to this page, and taken down on the author's personal request.

6. The categories are listed below. However, it is possible to suggest a new category for a story that doesn't fit anywhere else. The category description may not contain more than seven words.

7. Submissions can be sent to Finrod, c/o rvink7@hotmail.com between 7/22 and 9/1 2003.

8. All texts written prior to 9/1 will be eligible.

9. Authors of commended fics pick their own button. Everyone will be commended.

10. There will be a "voters choice" round (to be announced later). Voters will chose their favourite category, based on the fics they encounter there. They have to provide a reason for their choice. The most nonsensical reason will receive the award for Weirdest Comment (a button).

11. Finrod will randomly pick three favourite fics. The authors can also pick their own button. (NB: this is rule 11)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Galvorn Judges:
- Tyellas (''I needed therapy anyway")
- Zimraphel ("Count me in on this shindig")
- Finrod ("Nekkidness is its own award")
- Klose ("I'm just here to molest Finrod")
- Claudio ("Corrupting the innocent since the Second Age")
- Maid of Ainur ("All play and no work makes MoA a very dull girl")

10/2 AND NOW FOR THE LONG AND EAGERLY AWAITED RESULTS!
1) Congratulations to the authors who have one or more stories linked below. You are all commended. Pick your favourite button and put it wherever you think it will feel and/or look good.
2) Our thanks go to all the diligent Silmfriends who acted as judges, made buttons, sent nominations, participated in the voter's choice and/or had a good laugh.
3) Only categories with three or more stories were judged: Finrod refused to let anyone choose in categories with only two entries (he would also prefer the singing contest between him and Sauron to have resulted in a tie). As for categories with only one story: they all receive the One-of-a-Kind Award. Some categories were judged by more than one person, so not surprisingly, there's more than one winner there.
4) I hope you've al enjoyed yourself as much as Finrod has!
5) and last: See you next year?

THE AWARDS:

- Best Rehabilitating Maeglin

- Best Nekkid Finrod

   Rebirth, by Alena
   Finrod getting action with Amarie and walking stark naked into Tirion... GAHHHH!!! Why is it so hot in here?!
   Deep Waters, by Finch
   A well-written and charming story in which the nekkidness comes about in such a perfectly natural way that it leads the reader to believe that Finrod should be nekkid all the time. As indeed he should.

- Worst Poetry

- Best Lame Humour

- Best Revisionist Fëanorian

- Best Genderbending

- Best Weird Valinorean/Ancient Qenya/Adunaic Names

- Cutest Little Elfling not Necessarily Called Ereinion

   The Gift, by Ithilwen
   Because the characters were dead on and it made me misty eyed.

   Also commended:
   Brothers, by Tinni
   Don't Eat the Poisonberries, by Elithien

- Best Slash With Vala and/or Maia (any pairing)

- Best Never-To-Be-Finished WIP

   A Very Fire, by Deborah
   Because it's profound, moving, breathtaking - and so Very Sad if it will Never Be Finished.

   Also commended: Atonement, by Ellipsis

- Best Character Sulking In Mandos

- Most Uncanonical AU

   The Lure of the Song, by Maeve Riannon
   While flouting L&C and introducing one very AU OFC, this brings out Thingol's ambiguity at least as well as the original does.

- Best Smut/Fluff With Shibboleth Character

- Most Incomprehensible Crossover

   Clouds Over Snow and Stars In The River, by Murasaki99
   A good example of how an incomprehensible crossover can be made to work.

   Also commended: The Price of Peace, by Klose

- Best Sexually Intimidating Villain

   Down Like Rain, by Anais Lacquestar
   Morgoth's entire purpose in this story is to be intimidating in a blatantly sexual way, and that idea comes across very well. Lúthien's fears and thoughts are perfectly executed.

   Also commended: Chains of Steel and Shadow, by Rainchilde (Warning: NC-17 & non con)

- Best Rejected For HASA

- Best Footnoted

- Best Fic By Non-Anglophone Over 99

- Most Hairsplitting Nitpick

- Most Blatantly Laid-out Pseudo-canon-dogma

- Best Sillyfic

   Real Men Wear Jewellery, by Mouse
   A delightfully silly combination of naughtiness, humour and ridiculousness- yet strangely in character.
   Prince Albert In A Can, by Adrienne
   Silly but knowledgeable- the best combination. Sauron's characterisation is brilliant and probably worthy of an award of its own.

- Best Slashy Gondolindrim Story

- Worst Pointless Angstfic

- Most Obscure Character

   The Dark, by Cudae
   Offers us a glimpse at what possibly happened between Caranthir and his wife. The different memories were woven together most convincingly indeed. Well done.

   Also commended: The Darkness Will Never Pass Away, by Nerdanel

- Weirdest Portrayal of a Well-Known Character

   Also commended: The Only Immortal, by Lady Elleth

- Best Anthropomorphic Silmarils

- Best Elves in Modern Times

   Also commended:
   Unblinded, by Victoria
   Wanderer, by jilian baade

- Best Gory Battle Scene

- Best Smut Not Involving Maedhros

- Best Obvious Self-insertion

   I'm Back (with the disfunctional Quendi), by Lipstick
   The self-insertion of the author adds to the atmosphere of the dialogue. Moving and powerfully written.

   Also commended: The Utterly Fabulous and Completely True Adventures of Maryse Meyers Hadoriel, by Claudio

- Best Exaggerated Review

   Review of "The Tree", fic by Le Chat Noir, review by Círdan
   Review of Tapestries, fic by Le Chat Noir, review by Joan Milligan

- Best Homophobic Rant

- Best Excuse Generated to Allow for Elfslash

- Best Gratuitous Torture

- Best Valar Bashing

- Best Silly Author's Note

- Least Comprehensible Philosophical Text

- Squickiest Romance

- Craziest Fëanor

   Also commended: A Father's Wish, by Watcherchild

- Best Jewelry Fetish

- Artsiest Piece

- Best Tragedy

   Of Fire and Light, by Oboe-wan
   Though most of the tragedy itself seems to take place ouside of the narrative, this still contains the great tragic elements: flaw, action, downfall reaction, and requisite resulting death. Add great writing on top of that, and a classic tragedy fan is very happy.

- Best Fingon Cutting off Maedhros' Hand

- Best Dinnerparty

- Best Snarkiness

- Most Outrageous Feanorian Invention

- Best Forge smut

- Most Rampant Mary-Sue

   The Adventures of Sister Mary Susan, SJ, by Deborah
   Mary Sues don't get more rampant than this!

   Also commended: Tale and Truth, by Artanis

- Best Fëanor Impersonation by a Non-Fëanorian

- Best Florid Descriptive Passage

- Angstiest Italics

   Widows, by Maeve Riannon

- Most Wagnerian

- Weirdest Slash

- Best Other Ginger Quendi

   Vesse I Tano, by Joan Milligan
   Because the character of Nerdanel and the setting of Tirion are both beautifully developed, and we get a real sense of the allure of Nerdanel, though she was "not the fairest.

- Best Shafted Finwian

- Best Akkallabêth

   The Eleventh Hour, by Zimraphel

- Best Cuiviénen

   Song of the Waters, by Zimraphel

AND FINALLY

- Voter's Choice, the winning category:

   Best Sexually Intimidating Villain

- Weirdest Comment Award:

   Best Non-Anglophone over 99

The wei, eh, winning comment:

Dear Cousin,
I hope all is well with yourself and you are settling into your new Hroa comfortably. I must admit, I do remember fondly the times we spent together hunting in the wide lands of Eastern Beleriand. Even when you would insist on returning with some mis-shapen, hairy, grunting dinner guest and spend half the evening attempting to make it understand the concepts of "Yes" and "No".
Despite my skepticism, it does seem that your faith and patience paid off in the end, and I am pleased to say, I am currently living with an almost house-trained mortal without too many inconvieniences. Who would ever have thought it from those none-too-optimistic beginnings?
There are of course, some minor irritations in our relationship. Curiously, despite having a life-span the length of a weekend break by elven standards, my current host has the very unfortunate habit of procrastination. Not a day passes when "I'll do it tomorrow" or "It can wait until the weekend" fails to her lips. I believe this lack of insight into her condition is a minor defect in all mortal characters and normally I accept her failings with good grace and tolerence.
However, it has recently come to my attention that a matter concerning a close family member requires urgent action. In the face of the sluggishness of the Aftercomers, I have had to take matters into my own hand. I understand you are holding a contest for all the great and good writing that our noble selves have inspired, and that one of the categories contains an entry by my own dear brother. I trust, I need not tell you that this category must win.
With all respect to yourself and our friendship, I do know where you live and should you fail to meet my request, I shall have no choice but to reduce your chosen place of residence to smouldering ashes. I shall endeavour to keep faitalities to an absolute minimum, but I cannot guarantee no lives will be lost. I do hope you see this as the friendly piece of advice that it is, rather than a threat. I value your friendship deeply and wish for many more millenia of cordial relations.
Do be warned, however. The Galvorn Awards are now seen as a matter of family honour, and I need not remind you of how seriously us Feanorians take such matters.
You may also, in the fullness of time, recieve a badly mis-spelt and somewhat long winded e-mail from my current host casting her vote. If this arrives three weeks too late, I appologise on her behalf for her tardiness. She may also mistakenly vote for the wrong category, but this is nothing but the feeble wanderings of the mortal mind. In truth, she votes for "Best Non-Anglophone over 99". As do I.
May a star shine on the hour of our e-mailing,

Your cousin,

Maedhros Nelyafinwe

P.S. Is there much good hunting in Holland? I must confess that land has always seemed a little flat for my liking, but if it suits you, so be it. Maybe we shall ride out together again sometime?

- Finrod's choice- not entirely random after all:

   The Dying Stone, by Soledad
   Across Dark Waters, by Zimraphel
   Thrice for Honour, by Tyellas (Warning: NC-17)

Back to main Silmfic page

HOME