Each year the Tolkien Society gives out awards for contributions to the Tolkien fandom. It honors excellence that, per its objective:
. . . seek to educate the public in, and promote research into, the life and works of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.”
Nominations have officially opened for The Tolkien Society Awards 2019. The categories are Best Artwork, Best Article, Best Book, Best Website, and an Outstanding Contribution Award. These awards cover the 2018 calendar year. All nominations must be content written in English, but otherwise, it doesn’t matter where it was published or posted.
The Best Artwork refers to any artwork done throughout 2018 that is based upon Tolkien and his writings. The name of the artwork and of the artist must be had for the nomination. The Best Book Award can apply to an edited book with many authors or articles or one book by a single author. The Best Article Award can be from anywhere online or in print, but a reference to when and where the article was published is needed for a nomination. Not many specifics are given for Best Website so it can be taken that any site that is related to Tolkien is eligible. Only a URL is needed.
And finally, the Outstanding Contribution Award is to recognize individuals who have made important contributions to the Tolkien scholarship, fandom, or the promotion of the author and his works.
There are two rounds in the nomination process. The first round is open for anyone to submit using the form on their website. The round closes Friday, March 1st. Then a shortlist of nominations will be prepared by The Tolkien Society trustees and that will close on Friday, March 29th.
The winners will be announced during the yearly dinner at the Springmoot and AGM on Saturday, April 6th. It is located at the Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel in London. Tickets are available to the public until Saturday, March 22nd.
