(Editor’s note:  The contest has officially closed, and we are in the process of validating the winner.  If you have entered, please continue to check both your forum inbox and the e-mail address you used when registering for the forum.  In the event the winner chosen is unable to formally accept the prize, a new winner will be drawn.  Until the winner is validated and accepts, it is still possible you may win!)

After saying farewell last year to the Vancouver edition, it’s now North America’s only official Stargate convention.  And if you’re lucky, we’ve got your tickets to get in!

Now entering its tenth year, Creation Entertainment‘s Offical Stargate Convention will visit the Chicago area in mid-August.  Taking place at the Westin O’Hare, the event will run from August 16 to Ausust 18, and promises a very full three days of Stargate celebrities and fun!

While the celebrity guest list for this year doesn’t include any cast members from Stargate Universe, a great mix of fan favorites from the prior two shows will be on hand.  Scheduled to appear thus far are:

• From Stargate SG-1:  After several years away, Amanda Tapping (“Samantha Carter”) returns to the Creation stages to headline the SG-1 portion of the con, and is also bringing Christopher Judge (“Teal’c”) with her.  Others from the series making an appearance include Ben Browder (“Cameron Mitchell” and Farscape‘s “John Crichton”), Gary Jones (“Walter Harriman”), Dan Shea (“Sgt. Siler”), Dan Payne and Alex Zahara (the latter two having several different roles over the series’ run).
• From Stargate Atlantis:  Making return appearances to Chicago from last year’s event are Torri Higginson (“Dr. Elizabeth Weir”) and Joe Flanigan (“Col. John Sheppard”).  Other attendees from the Pegasus Galaxy include Kavan Smith (“Major Lorne”) and, in what is sure to be one of the first Stargate cons to feature sibling rivalry, an overdose of Hewlett fun as both brother David Hewlett (“Rodney McKay”) and Kate Hewlett (“Jeannie Miller”) will take the stage. (Here’s hoping Creation can schedule some joint stage time together for them — the comedic possibilities for that Q&A session could be epic and endless!)

With Chicago being the only official Stargate con going forward, demand to attend has been extraordinarily high, and the Gold Weekend Passes have already sold completely out.  However, through the generosity of Creation, GateWorld is giving away a pair of Preferred Weekend Passes to the event.

These two Preferred Weekend Passes are valued at approximately $520, and will provide the winner and their guest with:

• Reserved seating for all three days of the event
• Complimentary entrance to the Friday night Celebrity Cabaret
• Complimentary entrance to the Friday night Karaoke Party
• In-person complimentary autographs from many of the stars attending including Tapping, Judge, Flanigan and more!

GateWorld’s editorial staff will be there — would you like to be there, too?  Then simply head over to the contest thread in the GateWorld Forum and answer the question “How did you become a Stargate fan?”  Register first if you’re not a member of the forum yet. It’s quick, and it’s free! (Remember that if you already have a GateWorld account for commenting here on news stories, you still need a separate account on GateWorld Forum to post over there.)

We’ll randomly choose a winner on April 1, 2013 — and they will be notified via the forum.  You must be 18 years or older to enter, and only one entry per person, please.  Duplicate entries will result in disqualification.

IMPORTANT:  This contest provides the winner and guest with tickets to the convention only.  The winner and guest are responsible for all other issues involving con attendance.  Airfare (or other travel expenses), hotel accommodations and other incidentals are not included.

Good luck to all who enter!   And a big thank-you to Creation Entertainment for their continued support of GateWorld!