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BattleClinic is running an EVE Online contest, as a tie-in to go along with their exclusive Faction Warfare Enlistment Debrief, written by 'Sergeant-Major Illivia of the Federal Defense Union.' But, as BattleClinic notes, "no one seems to really know who the hell Sergeant-Major Illivia is." And that, all of you aspiring fiction writers, is the basis of the contest.

Sergeant-Major Illivia needs a biography, no longer than four paragraphs, completely original, and set within the EVE universe. If your writing makes the cut, the prizes offered include The Art of EVE, a 60-day EVE Time Card, and a 1GB EVE USB FlashDrive. Check out the rest of the rules and conditions over at BattleClinic, but remember the deadline for your bio submissions will be Friday, July 11. And for the love of the Amarrian God, don't begin with "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Via EVE Online

EverQuest and EverQuest II are getting the lion's share of the attention in SOE's Living Legacy promotion. But they are reserving something special for their massively collectible card game, Legends of Norrath. Win the Living Legacy Photo Contest, and not only will you get your picture painted, in character by artist Kieran Yanner for use on a Legends of Norrath card, but you'll be flown to the SOE Fan Faire this August. If you're an EverQuest player, your image will be made into a statue and placed into the guild halls of every guild in Norrath. If you are an EverQuest II player, your card will be made into a painting that can be hung in a place of honor in your apartment. All you need to do is to send them a picture that shows your passion for EverQuest. Find the complete rules on the Legends of Norrath web site. And good luck!

Wonderland Online, one of the many free-to-play MMOs at the Internet Gaming Gate, has announced its exciting array of Memorial Day events happening this weekend.

One of these is an interesting take on the original Memorial Day theme as a military holiday or remembrance. The event is called Saving Private Ryan and it will be a play on the movie of the same name. Three GMs will play the part of injured veterans who are on their way home from the front. They will be attacked by monsters along the way, and it's up to the players to defend them until they reach home. Plus, as an added bonus, from May 23rd to May 26th, players who post replies to discuss Wonderland Online in its forum will have a chance to win valuable rewards.

The Warrior Epic closed beta keeps chugging along, adding gameplay updates and winning converts with its unique presentation. Those of you who may have missed out on the initial chance to get into the beta have another opportunity with the new contest. Essentially, all you have to do to get a place is to drop a line in the forums -- a movie or book quote, something original and silly, what have you -- and if you're one of the first 150 respondents, you're in!

There are a couple of other contests as well, offering the winners in-game cash for items in the official public build, which release date hasn't been announced yet. Warrior Epic is shaping up quite nicely; now would be a great time to help shape the public release. Good luck, contesters!

[Thanks, Brice!]

Win up to L$100,000 courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Marvel comics by creating Iron Man fan-art in Second Life. We don't think our little attempt above will win the prize, honestly.

You can create still images or machinima -- you just have to use the official avatar which is available free with an optional (also free) animation overrider at Silverscreen Island, where finalists will also be displayed.

Entries need to be emailed in no later than 7PM US Pacific time on Wednesday, 7 May. First prize takes L$100,000 (more than US$370), and second place takes a not unattractive L$25,000. Check out the full contest details at theppc.com.

The true strength of any successful MMO is its player community -- they're the folks who create mods, organize events, cheer/protest loudly whenever something changes that they like/dislike. In that vein, GuildCafe has sent out a call for players who already are, or would like to create and run Guild Wars events events for any and all MMOs, like tournaments, contests, or even (most ambitiously) an ARG.

GuildCafe promises to support this endeavor by providing experienced staffers to help plan and effect events, as well as to publicize and sponsor said events. This is a great way to both maintain and strengthen the GW community, and at the same time promote GuildCafe's brand recognition. Everybody wins!

[UPDATED: changed 'Guild Wars events' to reflect that this offer is open to any and all MMOs -- Thanks, Sam!]

For nine years, the world of EverQuest has opened the doors for many travelers in search of adventure. One of the earliest games in the MMORPG genre, EverQuest still retains a passionate and loyal fanbase to this day. For those players who are elders of the lands of Norrath, as well as those who are interested in visiting this fair and foreign land once again, we bring you the chance to win goodies in honor of EverQuest's 9th Anniversary celebration!

Twenty lucky winners will be picked to receive a 30-day timecard code for EverQuest (ARV $15), because you can't beat free game time! (Note: you must already have an EQ account for these cards to work.) One prize winner will get a copy of EverQuest -- with all expansions including their most recent addition, Secrets of Faydwer (ARV $40)! Just perfect for those who have never played, or those who haven't played in a while as well as those who'd just like an account for alts! And one final prize winner will land a swanky promotional "NeverQuest" poster featuring The Simpsons (ARV $20)! To win, you must be 18+, a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec), and otherwise acceptable under the official rules. Comments must be left by no later than 12:00 PM Eastern U.S. time on 4/01/08 to be eligible.

So what are you waiting for? Get to commenting so we can hook you up with some fantastic EQ Anniversary prizes!

Admit it, you're either a sudoku number cruncher or a cross wording puzzler. If not, why are these two brain busting games in every newspaper and news rack across the world. Why does every in-flight magazine have them filled in? Ya, that's what I thought.

PlanetTR has created a contest that combines gathering information from inside Tabula Rasa with a crossword puzzle. Some of the in-game clues (which are scattered throughout the game world) require words spewed from NPCs, the name of an NPC, a logo, or counting the number of objects at a given spot. So it's like a scavenger hunt too!

Everyone is eligible to play, and the event starts tonight (5 PM Pacific, 6 PM Mountain, 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern)! Winners will receive a collectible Tabula Rasa Beanie, and the first place winner will earn themselves a "special" TR prize.

Be sure to check out the full list of details, and... get your cross verbiage on!

Twice each year Linden Lab holds a lottery for shop spaces in two prestigious Second Life simulators, where winners score a rent-free lot for a six month lease. The winners can use the store interiors to sell their products (though they are unable to change the exteriors - one of the factors that makes Luna a very popular destination).

The Luna Oaks boardwalk allows for a variety of non-mature product, while Busy Ben's Vehicle Lot in Oak Grove is restricted to vehicular sales only.

Winners of the last lottery draw have to clear out by Noon SLT (US Pacific) Tuesday, 25 March, and new winners can move in by 1PM SLT Tuesday, 15 April. Would-be entrants in the lottery should check the terms and conditions as they tend to vary slightly from draw to draw.

Circuit City originally opened in Second Life as a part of the IBM subcontinent. The build there was comparatively modest and not heavily trafficked, but it was successful enough for Circuit City to make a much larger commitment to the virtual world, in the form of four sims, forming an extra-large island, with the help and expertise of IBM.

The island features an orientation area (though a registration portal is still in the works), and some helpful signage. A Circuit City HUD enables you to summon assistance from a staff member, and has a built-in flight assister as a bonus. What might really grab your attention though are prizes!

K2 Network, the folks behind the localization of titles like Sword of the New World, Red Stone, MU Online and others, has announced a new MMO portal called GamersFirst (or G1) that will give players access to all of their free to play titles using one centralized account. Sounding remarkably like the plans we've been hearing from NCsoft all of last year, you'll be able to purchase G1 Credits that are usable in all the titles in their portfolio. This is welcome news for those brave enough to dive into the world of the free MMO with any regularity, as managing a myriad of accounts across multiple games (and let's be honest, you can burn out on free MMOs pretty quickly) can be hazardous to one's mental health and the safety of one's credit information. The site is also considerably less obnoxious looking than we expected, which is an added bonus.

As a cherry on the proverbial sundae, they're running a myriad of giveaways over the next twelve weeks to bribe you into virtual submission. At stake are Creative Headphones, an Alienware PC, an 8gb iPod touch, a 19" Samsung monitor, and more. They never really elaborate on the more, but we're sure it's fancy. From poking around on the contest page a bit, it seems that you can enhance your odds of winning these goodies by buying G1 credits, inviting friends to join the network, and playing a flash version of that boardwalk game where you throw darts at balloons. The registration process is a bit of a pain, but hey, free stuff, right?

Perhaps you remember our holiday postcard contest -- where we asked you send us holiday-themed postcard images from your favorite games. It may not be the holiday season anymore, but here at Massively we like to think there's room for delicious eggnog holiday cheer every day of the week! After extensive deliberation, our team of judges found enough time away from their favorite MMOs to look through the entries managed to come to a decision on the winners. Thanks to everyone who participated, and congrats to our winners: Durinthal, Cyn Vandeverre, Emerson, and Kevin, who are all walking away with some cool computer accessories, including Plantronics headsets, Logitech G15 gaming keyboards, and Logitech G9 laser mice.

And for those of you more interested in our 12 days of holiday giveaways, we've got winners for them as well! Congrats go out to Andy, Andrew, Dermit, jgodden, Speedmonkay, Curious George, trevrd, Auriea, DC Flyer, Dragnipurake, Shinagani, and celeron450 who each picked up a first place prize of a game time card of their choice. While they didn't get any game time, our second place winners did get some delicious candy: Paul, Ryan, Ryan (different people, same name!), Speedmonkay (one lucky guy), onetrueping, Moopcow, NCteacher, crispy, Fuzakeya, Quejebo, Animagnum, and Girricane!

Our top two postcard winners are included after the jump for your viewing pleasure!

With the arrival of each new year everyone likes to wipe the slate clean and start anew. Ya, I know... that joke has been done to death, but I couldn't resist. With the new year Tabula Rasa Stratics is launching a brand new section to their website, as well as holding a very ambitious contest. "Heroes of the AFS" will be an area honoring the heroic soldiers who act as the last line of defense against the Bane.

Each hero will have their own profile page containing key facts about their character (i.e., Name, Class, Server, Clan and a short bio of 100 words or less). Anyone can add a hero (simply by registering first). But for the contest itself players must write a story about their character (following the guidelines set by TR's "Soul of a Soldier" series).

The story specifics are these:

• Entries must be written in character, and be in first person voice.
• Entries should include a suggested title.
• Entries must take place within the Tabula Rasa universe and spotlight the day to day life of an AFS soldier. You are encouraged to make references to actual in game locations, characters, story arcs, and in game events.
• Entries should be short. 200-300 words is ideal. Entries with more then 500 words can still be added to your profile, but will not be eligible for this contest.
• All entries are subject to screening and editing before being posted on the site.
• Entries must not violate the User Agreement regarding copyrighted materials, profanity, etc...
• Multiple entries ARE acceptable and will provide extra chances to win in the random drawing. Only one prize can be won by any individual however, so if you are selected for a prize you will not be eligible for a second prize.

The contest started yesterday (Thursday, January 3) and runs runs through Saturday, January 19 - so if you're interested you best hurry over to TR Stratics "Heroes of the AFS" page and get the lowdown ASAP!

A few weeks ago we told you about the "contest" the folks at Dungeon Runners had going. Well, it seems more then a few folks had a problem actually deciphering the backwards message. Using "special" software the message has been reversed and is posted on DRs' "The Blog" for all to hear.

After listening... I think the devs have been drinking too much rotgut. As much as I like the game - especially the writing and the humor - calling this a "fun little number" is stretching things just a bit.

You must have seen our holiday postcard contest by now, yes? If you have, what are you doing still reading this? Get in-game to grab holiday screenshots to share with us! (For a chance to win some great hardware to complete your gaming arsenal: headsets, G15 keyboards, and laser mice.) And if you haven't, go check it out! But either way, that's not the only thing we're doing to celebrate the holidays on Massively! For those of you who feel you have limited artistic talent (but how much talent do you need to take a screenshot?), we're doing daily giveaways for the duration of the contest. Entering is simple -- just leave a comment on this post between now and 5:00 PM EST tomorrow (that's Tuesday, December 25th). To be eligible you must be age 18 or older and a resident of the United States: please read our official rules for full details. You can enter once in each of our contests -- so if you don't win this one, check back tomorrow at 5:00 PM for another chance to win!

We'll pick two winners: first place will receive their choice of game-related goodies (your options are: 60 days of WoW, 60 days of any NCsoft game, 30 days of EverQuest/EverQuest II/Planetside, 50 days of EVE Online, 60 days of Lord of the Rings Online, or 7500 Lindens) and second place will receive a caffeine candy sampler (for those late-night gaming sessions!) from ThinkGeek.