Welcome to the 2026 Awards Ceremony for the Most Magnificent Dragon!
Prince Elias from The Gift of Dragons stands on the cliff behind his castle, resplendent in a crimson cloak embroidered with gold in a flame pattern. The ocean crashes below, as if telling him to get on with the show.
The prince, who has plenty of experience with dragons, has kindly offered to host the ceremony in the King’s city of Dhalion.
Smaug, who will be giving out the awards, stands next to Elias, dwarfing him and huffing smoke every so often. It was quite a long journey from Middle Earth, and he doesn’t like sharing the limelight. The prince, however, keeps his attention on the contestants in front of him.
Temeraire comments on the rowdiness of the sea to Captain William Laurence. Meenore is trying to engage Seryu in conversation without much luck, and Darkstalker is shooting flames into the air. Shardas gazes at Prince Elias and Smaug, waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin. He’s participated in these several times before.
“Well, shall we begin?” Prince Elias asks Smaug.
“If we must,” Smaug replies with a grunt. He yawns and stretches his wings; he’d much rather take a nap.
“Welcome, dragons of all sizes and shapes!” Prince Elias announces. “Thank you for flying all the way here from your various lands. Without further ado, we’ll begin the 2026 awards ceremony for the most magnificent dragon. We’ll start in fifth place and work our way up to the winner.”
Every contestant stills and gazes at Elias. He gestures at Smaug to continue.
“Let’s get this over with,” Smaug says in a gravelly voice. “Last, and least, with a score of 7.6%, is…”
5. Meenore from A Tale of Two Castles
Prince Elias gives Meenore a scale-cleaning solution as a consolatory prize. It accepts the solution with dignity and says, “If you ever hold a contest for who’s the most intelligent dragon or the best detective, I’d be sure to win that one.”
Smaug just snorts and continues with the ceremony. “In fourth place, with a score of 10.8% is…
4. Seryu from Six Crimson Cranes
Seryu takes his scale-cleaning solution without comment, holding his head high.
“In third place, with a score of 19.5%, is…
3. Temeraire from His Majesty’s Dragon
Captain William Laurence hits his friend on the side. “Fantastic, my friend! Fantastic.” Temeraire, however, growls when he takes his consolatory prize.
“Next year,” he mutters, “I’ll win.”
Smaug blows smoke at him, and Temeraire whips his head back and growls at him.
Prince Elias steps between them. “No fighting, now. Let’s carry on, shall we? Who’s second place, Smaug?”
Temeraire gives Smaug a last long look and returns to his place beside Captain Laurence.
“With a score of 29.3%, that would be…”
2. Shardas from Dragon Slippers
The mighty gold dragon heaves himself forward and nods to Elias and Smaug as he takes his prize. “I was the closest I’ve been. Next year for sure.”
Behind him, Temeraire snorts in disbelief.
“And, for the grand prize,” Smaug announces, “the most magnificent dragon, with a score of 32.6 % is…”
Winner: Darkstalker from Wings of Fire
The all-black dragon struts forward and accepts the shimmering silmaril from Smaug. “I had no doubt I’d win.”
“You’re still not as magnificent as me,” Smaug retorts.
“Congratulations, everyone!” Elias tells the dragons. “And now, let’s feast!”
Don’t Miss the Rest of the Awards!
Sept. 21: Wisest Counselor
Sept. 23: Strangest Character
Sept. 24: Most Rakish Rogue
Sept. 25: Most Devoted Couple
Sept. 28: Most Epic Heroine
Sept. 29: Most Silver Tongue
Sept. 30: Most Faithful Friend
Oct. 1: Most Nefarious Villain
Oct. 2: Most Epic Hero
Craving more dragons in your life? Check out The Gift of Dragons, an adventurous, enemies-to-lovers, no-spice dragon fantasy by yours truly. Start a rebellion with Adelaide and her hawk Cyr, and keep an eye out for a dragons!
Praise from Readers:
“This was a wonderfully written and fast paced fantasy for any YA fiction reader. If you love dragons and rebellious battles, this book is definitely for you!”
“Solid characters, a world full of real dangers, fascinating dragon lore, and a sudden yet profound ending that has stuck with me for days after reading!”
“I can’t recommend this enough for dragon and fantasy lovers!”
