Via Starwars.com:
StarWars.com’s annual showdown between the heroes and villains of a galaxy far, far away is back! See below for full details on This Is Madness: The Star Wars Character Tournament 2015, including voting information, matchups, and how you can fill out your own bracket and win some amazing prizes.
VOTING BEGINS THURSDAY, MARCH 12!
Set your hyperspace coordinates for ThisIsMadness.StarWars.com — voting on Play-In matchups is set to begin this Thursday, March 12. Once the Play-In matchups are finished, the full tournament officially kicks off on Monday, March 16. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 7.
In This Is Madness, characters are divided into two conferences: Light Side and Dark Side. Each conference contains four divisions: Jedi, Rebels, Scoundrels, and Republic in the Light Side; Empire & Separatists, Bounty Hunters, Sith, and Underworld in the Dark Side. New entrants this year include Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, the Inquisitor, and other fan favorites from Star Wars Rebels, Jabba the Hutt’s trusted aide (and weak-minded fool) Bib Fortuna, and more, while the slippery smuggler Hondo Ohnaka has switched sides. (The odds must be more in his favor on the Dark Side.) Once the competition begins, new matchups occur daily, and are decided by fan voting — until one hero or villain is crowned champion. Real-time matchup updates are available on the site, letting you know if your favorite characters are winning…or if you need to double your efforts and rally the troops. And once again, Tatooine’s favorite gambling Toydarian, Watto, will offer his “expert” opinion on each matchup.
Last year’s tournament saw a major upset when Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Darth Vader in the final, 59% – 41%. Is the famed Jedi still more powerful than Vader can possibly imagine? Will Vader finally bring home the trophy for the Dark Side Conference (after two straight losses in the final)? Or will we have a new champion for the third straight year? The fans will decide, though the Emperor isn’t too happy about that.
PREDICT THE MADNESS, WIN A FETT-WORTHY BOUNTY
StarWars.com and Wookieepedia are joining their combined strengths once again to let fans participate in This Is Madness in an exciting way — and score some Force-filled prizes! Visit Predict the Madness on Wookieepedia, where you can fill out a complete bracket. Pick who you think will win each matchup and, ultimately, the tournament. Choose wisely! The most accurate brackets will qualify for incredible prizes, but you have to make the jump to lightspeed — the deadline to submit your bracket is Monday, March 16, just before the first round of This Is Madness begins.
Predict the Madness is sponsored by SMS Audio, who have donated a Fett-worthy bounty of prizes, including: 1st Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition Collectors Pack (Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Boba Fett, Storm Trooper); 2nd Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition On-Ear Headphones, Galactic Empire and Limited Edition Star Wars T-Shirt; 3rd Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition On-Ear Headphones, Rebel Alliance and SMS Audio Snap Back Cap; and more! Additional prizes from Sideshow Collectibles are also available. Last year, more than 4,500 fans entered the contest; only one had a perfect bracket.
HERE’S WHERE THE FUN BEGINS
