Back in the middle of March we began our annual tournament of Middle-earth March Madness: with this year’s theme being The Art of Middle-earth. Three weeks and thousands of votes later, the Grand Champion 2025 has been decided.
Here’s how the bracket looked this year:
Down to the last battle
The Final
Alan Lee’s Edoras faced Turner Mohan‘s Lúthien and Morgoth; a very familiar scene from a well-known artist, and a First Age scene from a lesser-known artist. Both are stunning works, filled with shadows and light; but starkly contrasting. One is a landscape with no figures; the other shows two figures with no discernible landscape.
EdorasLúthien and Morgoth
Their journeys to the final battle were also very different. The closest fight Edoras had to face was against Donato Giancola’s Walls of Moria, which claimed 45% of the vote. In the rest of the matchups, Alan Lee’s piece won by margins in the 70s and 80s percentage-wise. Mohan’s piece, on the other hand, only ever won by numbers in the 50s; in the second round, only ONE vote separated Lúthien and Morgoth from its competitor, Angelo Montanini‘s Radagast the Magician. A beautiful piece and a very worthy competitor, nonetheless Lúthien and Morgoth had to fight harder to make it to the final.
So it is perhaps not a surprise that this year’s Grand Champion of Middle-earth March Madness is:
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shares his thoughts on the winner:
It has been a steady, even overwhelming Ride of the Rohirrim finally bringing the gritty endurance of the Lúthien/Morgoth faceoff to the end of its exciting underdog run! The most serious competition that Edoras faced during the tournament came against Donato Giancola’s The Walls of Moria, a 55/45 matchup; even while Mohan’s Lúthien and Morgoth escaped from two of its matchups with a combined total of six votes. This has been by far the most competitive contest across the entire field that I can remember over many years of Middle-earth March Madness — a testament to the wide appeal and high quality of every artist featured. Here’s hoping that prints of some of their works have found new homes! I know they have in mine! Did you find a new piece to hang on your wall?
Special thanks to artists Jerry VanderStelt, Ted Nasmith and Donato Giancola, who took the time to chat with us on livestreams, and to tell us about their work and their love of Tolkien. (You can see those conversations on our YouTube channel.) And of course thanks to all of YOU, who joined the fun and voted! See you for more Middle-earth March Madness next year!
We come to it at last: the great battle of our age – or at least of Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth. Round Six is here – the final showdown, between the last two remaining works of art. But which piece will be crowned Grand Champion? There can be only one! Voting is open now!
Down to the last battle
Let’s take a look at how the Semi-finals played out:
The Horn of Boromir vs Edoras
Both of these paintings have proved very popular throughout the contest, winning fairly convincingly at each round. The love fans have for Peter Jackson’s movies perhaps inclines them to vote for art which reminds us of those films; and in addition, there is no denying that these are both extraordinary works. In this Final Four round, however, Matthew Stewart’s Boromir could not bring much opposition to the Golden Hall; Alan Lee’s masterpiece is through to the final, with almost three quarters of the vote.
Edoras by Alan Lee
Lúthien and Morgoth vs Gandalf at Your Service
In stark contrast to the other Semi-final, this was indeed a battle for the ages! Every time we checked on the latest tally, the lead had changed. Sometimes Turner Mohan led by 1%, and sometimes David Wenzel claimed back the thinnest margin. Clearly these two very different pieces have captured the imagination of voters! Finally, as the polls closed at midnight last night, the piece edging over the line – by a margin of just five votes! – was Mohan’s dark image. (This wasn’t the first narrow escape for this finalist, having survived an earlier round by a single vote. Is it the power of Morgoth or of Lúthien which keeps just managing to secure victory?)
Lúthien and Morgoth by Turner Mohan
And so – the Championship Round of Middle-earth March Madness 2025 is between Alan Lee’s Edoras and Turner Mohan’s Lúthien and Morgoth. Which will you choose? Voting is now open!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket – including looking back at all 64 individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist), should you wish! Place your votes for Round Six: Championship!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shares his thoughts on the Championship Round:
We have our Grand Championship matchup! We have ethereal Edoras, gleaming through its foggy backlit haze with glowing promise despite a menacing and dark mountainous backdrop. This piece has the pedigree of one of the most renowned and active Tolkien artists of our time, the incomparable Alan Lee. It is both haunting and familiar, firmly set in The Lord of the Rings lore when we first see the Golden Hall in The Two Towers.
And we have lesser known Turner Mohan, a fantasy illustrator from NYC who has largely worked in pencil and pen, and is beginning to work more and more in watercolors. He also dabbles in crafting medieval armor, which might explain Morgoth’s particularly imposing form in this piece. His Lúthien and Morgoth is rooted in Tolkien’s great First Age love story from The Silmarillion, the tale of Beren and Lúthien: their hopelessly herculean quest to wrest a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown as the bride price demanded by the elf princess’s father. Just as Lúthien overcame impossible odds through her art of song, might the strength of Mohan’s muse prove similarly compelling to our voters?
Let the Madness come to an end and our 2025 winner be crowned, whether in golden light or a dark iron crown. It’s up to the fans to decide!
You have until 6pm ET on Tuesday April 8th to vote in Round Six; that evening on TORn Tuesday we’ll look back over the whole Middle-earth March Madness contest, and reveal the winner. It’s your last chance to make your vote counts – rally the troops! Vote now!
Two weeks after Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth began, we have reached Round Five – the Final Four. Each regional bracket has a winner; now the Semi-final will decide which two masterpieces go through to face off in the Grand Final. Voting is open now!
Final Four – how the bracket looks
Let’s take a look at each bracket winner:
Landscapes
Donato Giancola’s Walls of Moria went toe to toe with Alan Lee’s Edoras. These are two incredible paintings of landmark locations in Middle-earth – how to choose between them? In the end, the Golden Hall was the one which drew the most votes: Edoras is through with three-fifths of the vote.
Edoras by Alan Lee
Story Moments
This was another close battle, as Matthew Stewart’s The Horn of Boromir took on Ted Nasmith’s The Kinslaying at Alqualondë. That’s a familiar scene from The Lord of the Rings (and with strong echoes of Peter Jackson’s movie) vs a First Age scene – perhaps a less familiar tale to many? Or a dark, gritty battle scene vs a beautiful, starlit, ethereal, but on close inspection equally (or even more) gruesome depiction of slaughter. How did you vote? Ultimately, The Horn of Boromir claimed 54% of the vote; so two familiar sights (and sites!) for movie lovers will meet in the first Semi-final pairing: The Horn of Boromir vs Edoras.
The Horn of Boromir by Matthew Stewart
Portraits
Two VERY different artworks met in the final of this bracket: Anna Lee’s serene and blissful Goldberry vs Turner Mohan’s striking, dark Lúthien and Morgoth. I know which one I’d rather have on my wall! BUT there is something mesmerising and extraordinary about Mohan’s smokey black work, with a tiny, luminous Lúthien boldy facing a giant foe. It won the heart of fans, but not by much; the final vote tally was 56% to Mohan.
Lúthien and Morgoth by Turner Mohan
Groups/Montages
Once again, the closest battle was in this region, where two idyllic Shire scenes fought it out. David Wenzel’s Gandalf at Your Service features two very well-known characters – Gandalf and Bilbo; whereas in Soni Alcorn-Hender’s Little Rivers of the Shire we don’t know who the two Hobbits are. Perhaps they are Halflings we know and love; or perhaps they are peripheral characters: children who once cheered Gandalf’s fireworks, or regulars at The Green Dragon. Either way, it’s a beautiful scene which draws the viewer in. I think we’d all like to visit either of these illustrations; and it was clearly hard for voters to make a choice. The victory in the end went to David Wenzel, 52% to 48%; making our second Semi-final pairing Lúthien and Morgoth vs Gandalf at Your Service.
Gandalf at Your Service by David Wenzel
Only two of these magnificent pieces can go through to the final; how will you make your choices? Vote now!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, and also view individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist). Place your votes for Round Five: Final Four!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shares his thoughts on the Final Four:
So, in the Final Four, we have an all Lord of the Rings semifinal, putting an epic and glowing Edoras against a gritty and highly detailed last stand from Boromir. The second match features the sharp contrast between the bright, Hobbity Shire scene featuring Bilbo being wooed toward adventure by Gandalf, versus the dark depths of Angband and Lúthien’s desperate confrontation with mighty Morgoth.
The Final Four is a study in the dark versus light contrasts that so vividly embody the breadth and depths of Tolkien’s subcreation. Think Bilbo and Gollum and their riddle game, Éowyn versus the Witch-king, Denethor’s pyre in the inner sanctum of the White City, or the beauty and horror of Alqualondë that Ted Nasmith so beautifully captured. It is fitting that these artistic tensions are so fully present with our four finalists.
You have until the end of the day Friday April 4th to vote in Round Five; on Saturday 5th we’ll start the Championship Round! So place those votes!
And then there were eight… Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth Round Four voting is open now! And we have a GIVEAWAY for you to enter! And if that were not enough, we have livestreams today and Tuesday with very special guests! Read on to find out more…
How the art works lined up in the Sweet Sixteen
The battles are getting closer; in Round Three, most victories were by a margin of less than 60%. The biggest conqueror was Matthew Stewart’s The Horn of Boromir, which took over 70% of the votes to defeat Michael Hague’s Rescued from Wolves. It seems people have a soft spot for art which echoes Peter Jackson’s movies.
The Horn of Boromir, by Matthew Stewart
In the Groups/Montages region, there was one match up which went right down to the wire. In the end, David Wenzel’s Gandalf at Your Service (from his The Hobbit graphic novel) beat Eric Velhagen’s Encounter at Amon Sûl. The charms of the Shire overcame the dynamic but violent battle with Ringwraiths – but by a margin of only 4% of the votes.
Gandalf at Your Service, by David Wenzel
So now we are down to the final pairing in each of our four regions. This Elite Eight features some big names in the world of Tolkien art; and some with which you may not be so familiar. Which will go all the way, to become the Grand Champion of 2025? If you can predict that, you might be one of our lucky winners!
Thanks to our good friends at Warner Bros. we have copies of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim to giveaway. (What better way to celebrate the Art of Middle-earth than with this epic anime film?) During the Elite Eight round, you can enter to be in with a chance of winning, by guessing which of the remaining masterpieces you think will be the ultimate victor. Simply complete this form with your prediction; once Middle-earth March Madness is over, we’ll pick winners at random from those who successfully predicted the Grand Champion. (Sorry, this giveaway is only open to residents of the USA or Canada.)
Then make sure to give your chosen winner the best chance, by VOTING!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, and also view individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist). Place your votes for Round Four: Elite Eight!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shares his thoughts on the pieces in the Elite (or ‘Elegant’ or ‘Engaging’) Eight:
In Landscapes, iconic Lord of the Rings scenes by incredible and well-know masters of their craft, Donato Giancola and Alan Lee. These two have emerged from possibly the strongest region, stacked with well-known artists and strong lesser know ones
In Story Moments, a focus on tragedy and death, curiously, whether it’s Boromir’s last tragic stand and redemption, or one of the darkest days (literally) in the story of the Silmarils, a mixture of beauty and Elven genocide.
-In Portraits, it’s light against dark in a battle of divine strength, with the fair (and powerful) River Daughter facing the specter of Morgoth, perhaps drawing inspiration from Luthien’s triumph in a similar artistic match
In Groups, perhaps a surprising and much more peaceful pairing, and all Shire-centric, with David Wenzel’s familiar meeting between Gandalf and Bilbo up against, well, who are those hobbits fishing by the little Shire river? It seems like a wonderful spot to look for a more peaceful adventure!
You have until the end of the day Tuesday April 1st to vote in Round Four; on Wednesday 2nd the Final Four will begin! But first – please join us TODAY, Sunday 30th, for a very special livestream. 3pm PST/6pm EST Ted Nasmith will join us, to discuss his incredible The Kinslaying of Alqualondë, which features in the ‘Story Moments’ bracket. Then join us again on Tuesday 1st April, when artist Donato Giancola will be with us during TORn Tuesday to discuss his masterpiece The Walls of Moria. We hope you’ll be there to hear from both these fantastic artists, as you make decisions on the Elite Eight round. And don’t forget to VOTE!
And just like that, we’re on to Round Three of Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth. From 64 works of art which started in the four brackets, now we’re down to the Sweet Sixteen; and in this round, you only have three days to vote. Round Three voting is open now!
Round Two for the most part had pretty clear winners in the match ups. The one VERY close battle was between Angelo Montanini’s Radagast the Magician and Turner Mohan’s Lúthien and Morgoth. These two very different works were in a stalemate for most of the round. A brief flurry of votes in the final hour saw them continue to swap places for the lead, until finally, when voting closed, Mohan’s extraordinary work come out the victor – but by just ONE VOTE!
Lúthien and Morgoth by Turner Mohan
One perhaps surprising departure in Round Two was John Howe! His Barrels out of Bond was narrowly defeated by Kip Rasmussen’s Thingol and Melian, which claimed 56% of the vote. Both are gorgeous pieces; it just shows how difficult it is to choose when all these artists are so talented, and their visions are so different. It now looks like Alan Lee and Donato Giancola may meet in the Elite Eight, to decide the overall winner in the ‘Landscapes’ bracket; but first, they have to make it through this next round!
Thingol and Melian, by Kip Rasmussen
Some thoughts from staffer Madeye Gamgee on the contest so far:
In the Sweet 16, as far as book “Conferences” go, we have representation from:
The Silmarillion — 4
The Hobbit — 3
The Lord of the Rings – 9
We had some very familiar artists get knocked out of the tournament this round, including John Howe, Justin Gerard, Jerry VanderStelt, and Colleen Doran. Surviving are newer artists like Anna Lee, Edvige Faini, Soni Alcorn-Fender, and Eric Velhagen. Art from titans Donato Giancola and Alan Lee may be heading to a face-off in the Landscape finals. Can Ted Nasmith’s work prevail over less well-known but formidable competing artwork? Will the comfort of David Wenzel’s classic Hobbit graphic novel be enough to overcome what may be the most diverse group of competing artwork in the Groups/Montages region? It’s not getting any easier!
Take a look at the fours brackets as they now stand; which masterpiece do you think is en route to becoming to champion for 2025? As always, we encourage you to take some time enjoying the art, and perhaps follows some links to check out other works by the artists, before you place your next votes. (You can also always access the earlier rounds at the voting link; so all these incredible pieces are still there for your viewing pleasure!)
Decisions are getting harder, as the field narrows. How you make your choice is up to you!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, and also view individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist). Place your votes for Round Three: Sweet Sixteen!
You have until the end of the day Saturday March 29th to vote in Round Two; on Sunday 30th we’ll open voting for Round Four! That Sunday, we’ll also have a very special livestream at 3pm PST, when none other than Ted Nasmith will join us, to discuss his ‘The Kinslaying of Alqualonde’, which features in the ‘Story Moments’ bracket – and he may even share some preliminary sketches with us! We hope you’ll join us for that, as you make decisions on the Elite Eight round; but first, go and examine the Sweet Sixteen! Vote well!
With thousands of votes over all the pairings, Round One of Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth is done; and half the wondrous works of art have been eliminated. If you joined us for any of our livestreams, you’ll know how tricky those choices were; and from here on, it only gets tougher! Voting is open now for Round Two!
Round One saw some VERY close battles – and indeed, few works won by really wide margins. In the ‘Landscapes’ bracket, Mary Fairburn’s Gandalf on the Tower of Orthanc beat Federico Cimini’s Rhosgobel by less than 1% of votes cast! That same bracket, however, saw one of the biggest victories: Alan Lee’s Edoras took 86% of votes, to defeat Paul Gregory’s Caradhras – a beautiful work which might well have made it through to Round Two, had we not set it up with such a challenging opening round battle!
Edoras by Alan Lee
Check out the bracket now, to see which pieces made it through. Then we hope you may linger a while, spending some time with the 32 remaining pieces, before you place your next votes.
How you choose is up to you! How you vote is explained below:
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, and also view individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist). Place your votes for Round Two!
You have until the end of the day Wednesday March 26th to vote in Round Two; on Thursday 27th we’ll open voting for Round Three! We’ll have more livestream discussions of the featured art – and look out for some very special guests coming up, as well as some giveaways! Join us on Tuesday 25th for TORn Tuesday where Jerry VanderStelt will be our guest, to discuss his piece in the ‘Montages’ bracket, The Fellowship of the Ring. We hope to see you then – perhaps you may want to wait to vote until after that stream, in case it changes your mind…?
