I have resurrected my blog and my motivation to once again bring you the most prestigious award a fictional character can win.
The Silmaril Awards!
The Silmaril Awards are all about celebrating fantasy fiction. But whereas most awards go to authors or books, these awards go to the characters themselves!
Started in 2016, these awards are a four week online celebration of all that’s best in fantasy literature. There are several awards in various categories given every year. The characters who receive them have to be from books generally considered to be in the fantasy genre. And a given character cannot receive an award more than once. These are lifetime awards.
Also, as Tolkien is, for us, the gold standard of fantasy, his characters are not eligible to be nominated. That’s because they’ll be the ones presenting the awards in this cross-dimensional online ceremony.
Nominations are submitted on the websites of each of the presenters for that year. Anyone can submit a nomination and you can second (and third and fourth, etc.) any number of nominations besides your own.
After the nomination period (lasting one week), the five characters receiving the most nominations will make it onto the ballot and you’ll have one week to vote. After the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced, one per day, over the final two weeks of the awards.
This years Dates:
Nominations will run from Sept 7 – 11.
You’ll vote on the top 5 nominees from each award from Sept 14 – 18.
The winners will be announced, one on each weekday over the two weeks running from Sept 21 – Oct. 2nd.
This year I am thrilled to be hosting the Most Epic Heroine award.
The awards are lifetime awards so no character can win twice.
Heroine is one of the longer running awards so there have been quite a few winners. Please consult this list before nominating:
Most Epic Heroine
- 2025 Heather Longtreader from The Green Ember Series
- 2024 Nia from Wingfeather Saga
- 2023 Leeli from Wingfeather Saga
- 2022 Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle
- 2021 Pet from The City Between Series
- 2020 Hermione from The Harry Potter Series
- 2019 Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles
- 2018 Aravis from The Chronicles of Narnia
- 2017 Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia
Quick Reminders:
- No Tolkien or Narnia Characters
- Book characters only (Movies don’t count unless the book came first.)
- Only fantasy characters are allows (No sci-fi, adventure, mystery ect…)
- Leave your nomination as a comment State the character’s name and what book they’re from.
- Second other’s nominations by replying “I second” to their comment.
- These are lifetime awards please check the past winners above before nominating.
Nominate in the comments: Who is the Most Epic Heroine?
Don’t forget to visit the rest of the award blogs to nominate characters for every category:
- Sarah Pennington—Most Devoted Couple: https://tpssarahlightshadows.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/2026-silmaril-awards-nominations-most-devoted-couple
- C.O. Bonham—Most Epic Heroine: https://cobonham.com/2026/09/07/silmaril-awards-most-epic-heroine-nominations-open/
- Mackenzie Writes—Most Faithful Friend: https://mackenziekwrites.com/2026/09/07/the-silmaril-awards-most-faithful-friend-nominations-now-open/
- Jenelle L. Schmidt—Most Nefarious Villain: https://jenelleschmidt.com/blog/nominations-11th-silmaril-awards-nefarious-villains
- Kandi J. Wyatt—Wisest Counselor: https://kandijwyatt.com/wisest-counselor-nominations-for-11th-annual-silmaril-awards/
- E.E. Rawls—Strangest Character: https://rawlse.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/the-silmaril-awards-2026-are-here-cast-your-vote-for-most-strangest-character/
- Rachel A. Greco—Most Magnificent Dragon: https://www.rachelagreco.com/
- DJ Edwardson—Most Epic Hero: https://djedwardson.com/2026-silmaril-award-nominations-for-most-epic-hero/
- Sldooley—Silver Tongue: https://www.instagram.com/s_l_dooley/
- Grace T—Most Rakish Rogue: https://bardonpilgrimage.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/2026-silmaril-award-nominations-most-rakish-rogue
C. O. Bonham 
Sep 08, 2026 @ 10:16:09
I nominate:
Sophie from The Unicorn Quest
Raisa from The Turrim Archive
Echo from An Echo Of The Fae
Experience from The Exe Files
Sophie from Keeper Of The Lost Cities
Sep 08, 2026 @ 10:38:52
I second Sophie from Keeper of the Lost Cities!
Sep 08, 2026 @ 04:00:10
I nominate:
Anthea Cross from The Rose Legacy
Lydia Green from Beyond Mulberry Glen
Rachel Klein from The Book of Stolen Dreams
Mal Arvorian from Impossible Creatures
Sep 08, 2026 @ 00:08:38
I, er. . . I have more. . .
Zoya Nazyalensky from King of Scars/Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Maeve Abenthy from The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
Cettie Pratt from Storm Glass by Jeff Wheeler
Nixie from The Girl From Everywhere by Hiedi Heilig
Alizeh from This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Tress from Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Truyan Saigas from A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim
Vrell Sparrow from the Blood of Kings series by Jill Williamson
Elodie Dantès from A Promised Vengeance by Sara B. Larson
Sep 07, 2026 @ 19:03:10
I nominate:
Beatriz from All the Crooked Saints
Miryem from Spinning Silver
Celie from Tuesdays at the Castle/the Castle Glower series
Addie from Two Princesses of Bamarre
Ella from Ella Enchanted
Then both of these next ones miiiiight be more of steampunk but they are listed as fantasy on Goodreads, so I hope this is okay if I nominate:
Sophronia Temminnick from the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger
Aruba Teach from A Riddle in Ruby
Sep 07, 2026 @ 22:47:50
I second Celie heartily!
Sep 07, 2026 @ 23:19:49
Sorry, I just now see that Willow beat me to nominating Ella and Asa a few seconds before I did! So count those as my seconds, please!
Sep 07, 2026 @ 23:23:17
Make that Ella and Addie. XD I’m so sorry I’m causing so much chaos.
Sep 07, 2026 @ 19:02:48
I nominate:
Ella from Ella Enchanted
Asa from Fairest
Addie from Two Princesses of Bamarre
Miri from Prince Academy
Maered from the Books of Pellinor
Meg from A Wrinkle in Time
Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Alexandria from Goose Chase
Sophia from The Glass Sentence
Kitty from the Bartimaeus Sequence
Yvaine from Stardust
Sep 07, 2026 @ 22:47:29
I second Miri!!
Sep 07, 2026 @ 17:30:22
I nominate Aviendha from The Wheel of Time
Sep 07, 2026 @ 16:21:08
I nominate:
Ailsa from The Dark King’s Curse by Wyn Estelle Owens
Raisa from The Turrim Archive by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Miss Dark from Miss Dark’s Monsters by Suzannah Rowntree
Viv from the Shattered Worlds series by W.R. Gingell
Sep 07, 2026 @ 12:35:43
I nominate:
Vin from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Inej Ghafa from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Seraphina from Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Shiori from Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Arya from The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Elisabeth Scrivener from A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Sep 07, 2026 @ 16:18:15
I second Elisabeth Scrivener!
Sep 07, 2026 @ 19:03:53
I second Inej! Only one of my favorite characters EVER. <333
Sep 07, 2026 @ 22:47:05
Isn’t she glorious???
Sep 07, 2026 @ 09:38:18
Yay, the Silmaril Awards are back! I nominate:
Eilonwy from Prydain Chronicles
Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn
Charis from The Pendragon Cycle
Sep 07, 2026 @ 23:58:14
I second Eilonwy and Lady Amalthea!
Sep 08, 2026 @ 10:39:22
I second Eilonwy!