In the 21 years since its inception, EA Sports’ Madden NFL series has grown from a mere football videogame into a true cultural phenomenon. It’s the most renowned sports franchise in videogame history, so EA Sports has seen fit to give it an unprecedented honor: its very own Hall of Fame. The Madden NFL Hall of Fame will be a celebration of everything -- famous, not-so-famous, and infamous -- that has helped to make Madden what it is today.

The Hall of Fame will debut at Madden Bowl XVI, which will be held -- as it is every year -- in February, during Super Bowl weekend. But since Madden’s die-hard fans have had such a major role in shaping the franchise’s history, EA Sports is rewarding them with a truly special opportunity: the chance at a seat on the Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

These are the people (among them: celebrity Madden fans, athletes, and journalists) who will determine the nature of the Hall of Fame, so for the sizable contingent of fans who buy Madden every year, without fail, this is kind of a big deal. They’ll have to prove their worth in a contest by submitting a video (no more than 90 seconds) by the end of this month. Along with the video, the contest asks for entrants to answer the following questions in no more than 150 words:

• What is your favorite Madden NFL memory?
• Which edition (year/console) of Madden NFL is best, and why?

The press release mentions that “several” seats are available, but only three winners will be flown to the first meeting, which will take place in an end zone suite at Heinz Field during an August 13th preseason game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Selection Committee members will be listed in a special section of the Hall of Fame Web site (http://maddennfl.easports.com/hof.action), and they’ll even have a chance to be in the credits of an upcoming Madden game. Pretty bad-ass, eh? If you’re thinking of entering, check out all the details after the jump.

EA SPORTS Announces the Madden NFL Hall of Fame

Fans of the Heralded Sports Video Game Franchise Called to Shape Inaugural Class

For 21 years the Madden NFL franchise has been embraced by its fans, honored by critics, and endured the test of time like no other sports video game in history. Today, EA SPORTS™ is proud to announce the establishment of the Madden NFL Hall of Fame – a program designed to celebrate and honor the individuals, features, playbooks, fans, and even glitches, that have all contributed to making Madden NFL one of the most popular video game franchises of all time.

The inaugural class of the Madden NFL Hall of Fame will be enshrined in February 2010 at Madden Bowl XVI. Beginning today, all fans of the franchise have an opportunity to help shape the Madden NFL Hall of Fame program, including a possible seat on the official Selection Committee.

Several seats on the Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee have been reserved for the ultimate Madden NFL fans, and the application process is now open. This is your chance to team up with celebrity players, sports stars, journalists, and a few EA SPORTS Madden NFL reps, to lay the foundation for the Hall of Fame program. Help craft the bylaws, form the nomination and selection processes, determine the nominee categories, and even select the inaugural class. Make your mark on the Madden NFL legacy with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.



How to Apply:

To enter the Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee Contest (the “Contest”) beginning 12:00:01 a.m. PDT on July 21, 2009 through 11:59:59 p.m. PDT on July 31, 2009 (the “Contest Period”), visit www.MaddenNFL.easports.com/hof.action (the “Site”) and follow the instructions to submit your user or screen name, email address, date of birth, answers to the questions below and your Video Application* submission showing us you are the ultimate Madden NFL fan, with the words, “Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee Contest” in the subject line (collectively, the “Entry”) via email to FootballCommunity@ea.com. No other methods of entry will be accepted.

*Video Application Submission GUIDELINES

Entrants’ submitted Entry must (i) incorporate only the Sponsor-provided game images available on the Site, if any, (the “Contest Assets”) and/or the entrant’s own originally created artwork showing your enthusiasm, knowledge and passion of the Madden NFL franchise (“Original Creations”); You can visit the Site to locate any Sponsor provided Contest Assets to create your video application. Entries must pertain to the Madden NFL video game, and must be submitted as a link to a 90 second or less YouTube video, titled: “Madden NFL Hall of Fame – (Your Title)”, originally created as a Quicktime.MOV file format following the Entry instructions, sized no larger than 100 MB with a resolution of either 640 x 360 or 16 x 9 aspect ratio and linked within your email Entry along with answers to the questions below (150 words or less):

• What is your favorite Madden NFL memory?
• Which edition (year/console) of Madden NFL is best, and why?

See OFFICIAL RULES for details.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/madden/madden10/Rules.pdf



The Reward:

Three fans selected to be part of the Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee will be provided transportation and accommodations to the first meeting, in an end-zone suite overlooking Heinz Field during a preseason matchup between the Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition, Selection Committee members will be honored in a dedicated section of the Madden NFL Hall of Fame website, and will have the opportunity to be included in the credits for an upcoming Madden NFL video game.

Members of the inaugural Madden NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee will be announced on or about August 6, 2009 via the official Madden NFL website at: http://maddennfl.easports.com/hof.action.

Timeline: **

July 21 – 31, 2009
Application period for fan seats on MHOF Selection Committee
August 6, 2009
Announce winners of fan seats on MHOF Selection Committee
August 13, 2009
Selection Committee meeting at Heinz Field
September 1 – October 31, 2009
Class of 2010 fan nomination period
November 5 – 6
Selection Committee meeting (TBD)
January 7 – 21, 2010
Fan voting
February 2, 2010
Announce inaugural Madden HOF class
February 4, 2010
Induction ceremony at Madden Bowl XVI in Miami, Florida

**Dates subject to change