Polaris News, update

Via the TCON NEWS 

1.  PRE-REGISTRATION FOR POLARIS 25 IS NOW CLOSED

For your convenience, at-the-door prices are available online through
the Membership Online Registration (http://www.tcon.ca/registration/)
until June 17, 2011.  Limited space is also available for our Writers’
Workshop and our Knitting Workshop.  Don’t miss out on attending one
of these great workshops.

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2.  POLARIS CONTEST WINNERS

Congratulations to our latest winners!  The Tour of the Galaxy contest
has wrapped and our winner is Ryan K. of Kitchener.  Ryan and a guest
will be receiving VIP treatment for the Ultimate Fan Adventure at
Polaris 25!  This package is made available to us by our sponsor,
Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel.  Also for our
Contest-of-the-Month for May, Robert B. of London won the Terra
membership.

But the winning doesn’t stop there!

Polaris introduces the Charlaine Harris and Brandon Sanderson contests
for June!  Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, TOR Books (www.tor.com)
and Penguin Group Canada (www.penguin.ca), Polaris is pleased to offer
some lucky winners the chance to win books and Terra memberships.

Visit our Contest page (http://polaris.tcon.ca/contests/) to get all
the exciting details and how to enter!

Don’t be left out of Polaris 25!  Enter today!  Contest closes June 30, 2011.

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3.  CHARITY AUCTION - Z’AARX

Z’aarx wants to raise $10,000 for Gilda’s Club, and we need your help!
Doing some spring cleaning? Want to pass on some books, DVDs, toys,
or collectibles to someone else who’ll appreciate them? Why not do it
for a good cause and donate some items to the Charity Auction? You get
space, someone else gets your cool stuff, and Gilda’s Club Greater
Toronto gets a great donation. Everybody wins!

Contact charity@tcon.ca or drop by the viewing room in the Victoria
Square Room Friday or Saturday. We open early on Friday so come by any
time! You can also check out the cool items we have for quick sale or
auction (after all, you’ll have somewhere to put them now) and vote
for Polaris’ Greatest Guest. For more information, visit us at
http://zaarx.tcon.ca. For a preview of what’s available, check out
http://zaarx.tumblr.com.

And don’t forget our Re-tweet and Win contest. Until July 15,
following @zaarx and re-tweeting messages gets you a ballot towards a
draw for an autograph from the Polaris guest of your choice.

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4.  GO GREEN FOR POLARIS BLUE!

Did you get your copy of the Polaris 25 Progress Report?  You should
have seen it in the mail by now.

We’d like to give you the chance to help Polaris “Go Green”.  Email us
at gogreen@tcon.ca and give us your name and email address. Let us
know you would like to opt-out of a postal mailing of our Progress
Report and instead of mailing you the next Progress Report we will
update your record to email you a PDF copy.  You will receive your
e-Progress Report about a week in advance of postal mailouts, and you
will help Polaris save on printing and paper costs.

In thanks, Polaris will enter your name into a drawing for $60 of
Polaris Dollars, which may be used towards Polaris registrations, in
our Marketplace at one of our Dealers tables, or at Convention Sales.

Just another small way Polaris likes to join forces with its members
to help for a greener future for us all!

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5.  POLARIS MEMBER SURVEY

TCON Promotional Society, the people who bring you Polaris each year,
are asking the members to take a short survey to help us bring you the
best possible event. This survey is anonymous if you choose, and
should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. The survey will remain
open until just after Polaris 25, at which time the marketing team
will compile the results and report to the TCON Promotional Society
board of directors.

For a small thanks for taking this survey, you may choose to give us
your name and email address at the end. That information will be left
out of the compiled results, but will be used to select one person to
win $60 of Polaris Dollars.

The survey may be found at:
http://www.formstack.com/forms/constellations-polaris_marketing_questionnaire_general_membership

Ben Browder to join us in Toronto!

Polaris is excited to share the opportunity to meet Ben Browder this summer, the following is a press release-

The show that brought about one of the most memorable of fan responses to an untimely cancellation, Farscape fans will rejoice to meet the series lead actor, Ben Browder, at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Polaris Convention in Toronto this July.  Browder’s character, ‘John Crichton’, was his first lead role in a TV series, and he went on to win three Saturn Awards for his portrayal of the heroic and mischievously comical character known for his pop culture references.  Browder also is well known for having taken the reins from Richard Dean Anderson to lead the Stargate: SG-1 team until the end of the series.  This has given Browder wide reaching recognition beyond some of his earlier guest roles in shows such as Murder She Wrote and CSI: Miami.

Sessions will be held for fans to pose in photographs with Browder and to receive autographs.  Given the far reaching fan popularity for Browder’s roles, advance sales are available on the Polaris website.  

Polaris’ roots began as a Star Trek convention in 1986 and it has grown to focus on a variety of sci-fi and fantasy television shows, novels and movies, as well as various related genres. 

Polaris 25 will be held July 15-17 at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel. For more information, visit http://polaris.tcon.ca, or phone 416-410-TCON.

POLARIS PHOTO CONTEST

Polaris 25 Photo Contest: The Polaris Experience

Long time Concom member Joanne Muth recently passed away, and to honour her memory, Polaris 25 has decided to hold a photo contest!  Joanne had volumes and volumes of lovely photos from Polaris (and Toronto Trek) and we couldn’t think of a better way to honour her support of the convention over the years.

So please join us in paying tribute to our dear friend and, at the same time, celebrating the spirit of Polaris.  Send in your photos – any and all photos you believe best fits the description of “The Polaris Experience”.  Is it dinner with your costumed buddies?  Is it an in-depth impromptu discussion on some comfy couches in Ten-Forward? Is it a rockin’ room party?  A chance encounter with Darth Vader in the hallways?  Is it warbling along with your favourite tune in Klingon Karaoke?  Whatever it is, show us!  We want to know, and enjoy your special memories of Polaris (and Toronto Trek) past.

How do I get my photos into this contest?

1. Email your photos to photocontest@tcon.ca within the contest dates.
2. You can submit as many photos as you like – there’s no limit!  The only catch is they must be your photos.  There is no cost to enter.
3. Contest is open to all TCON Promotional Society members and former members.  No one is excluded. 
4. All entries must be your own photos.
5. Entries will be judged by a panel of convention committee members, who will not know who submitted which photos.  Names and contact information will be given to judges only for the purposes of alerting the winners.
6. All photos become the property of TCON Promotional Society, for the purposes of display, publishing, promotion and similar reasons, but credit to the photographer will always be given.  Photos submitted may be displayed at Polaris 25 in some manner.

What is the prize?

Prizes for winners include, but are not limited to, a Venus level membership to Polaris 26, Terra level memberships to Polaris 26, Polaris dollars and autographs.

TCON NEWS— what’s new with Polaris 25

i just want to share with you all, the latest news from Polaris. Especially a certain author’s first Canadian appearance

                      TCON-NEWS
          The official e-mail newsletter of
            the TCON Promotional Society
              Featuring information on
                    Polaris 25
                        AND
          The 2011 Constellation Awards

        Information Line: (416) 410-TCON (8266)
    E-MAIL: info@tcon.ca    WEB: http://www.tcon.ca/
                Twitter: TCONtweets

                  July 15-17, 2011
              Sheraton Parkway North
                600 Highway 7 East
                (At Highways 404 & 7)
          Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
In this issue:

1.  AUTHOR GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR POLARIS 25 - CHARLAINE HARRIS
2.  THE 2011 CONSTELLATION AWARDS - NOMINATE YOUR FAVES TODAY!
3.  POLARIS 25 ART CONTEST WINNERS
4.  RETURNING TO POLARIS THIS YEAR: THE SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE
5.  RETURNING TO POLARIS THIS YEAR: KLINGON KARAOKE
6.  THE CONSTELLATION AWARDS WANTS YOU - TO JOIN OUR TEAM!

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1.  AUTHOR GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR POLARIS 25 - CHARLAINE HARRIS

Polaris 25 is proud to announce that Charlaine Harris will be
appearing as our second Author Guest of Honour!

Charlaine Harris is on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list for her
Sookie Stackhouse urban fantasy series, about a telepathic waitress
who works in the fictional Northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The
first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for
Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. Each book follows Sookie through her
adventures involving vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural
creatures. The series, which now numbers eleven titles, has been
released worldwide.

It proved to be so popular that Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under,
developed a television series based upon the books for HBO. The
series, True Blood, was an instant success and is now filming its
fourth season.

In addition to a Q&A session, Charlaine will be doing a reading, a
signing, and will be speaking on panels.

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2.  THE 2011 CONSTELLATION AWARDS - NOMINATE YOUR FAVES TODAY!

Attention, Canadian fans of Science Fiction: What were your favourite
science fiction film and television works of 2010? What actors and
actresses did you think gave stellar performances? What shows, films,
and mini-series did you find to be well written or visually stunning -
whether on the big screen, the TV screen, or online?

The time has come to let your voices be heard! The TCON Promotional
Society is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2011
Constellation Awards are now open. Anybody may submit nominations for
the nine award categories, which are:

Television Categories:

      1) Best Male Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction
        Television Episode.
      2) Best Female Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction
        Television Episode.
      3) Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2010.

Film / TV Movie / Mini-Series Categories:

      4) Best Male Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction
        Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series.
      5) Best Female Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction
        Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series.
      6) Best Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or
        Mini-Series of 2010.

Other Categories:

      7) Best Technical Accomplishment in a 2010 Science
        Fiction Film or Television Production.
      8) Best Overall 2010 Science Fiction Film or
        Television Script.
      9) Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science
        Fiction Film or Television in 2010.

Go to http://constellations.tcon.ca for the nomination guidelines and
forms. We also have a list of film and television works that we have
identified as being eligible for nomination this year. Nominations
must be received (via postal mail, email, or our online nomination
form) by MARCH 4th, 2011. Final nominees will be announced in
Mid-March, with the winners to be announced at the Awards Ceremonies
on the evening of July 16th, 2011.

Don’t assume that somebody else will nominate your favourites! If you
want your fave actors, shows, films, or tech teams to be nominated, do
so today!

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3.  POLARIS 25 ART CONTEST WINNERS

Thanks to everyone who submitted designs. The Polaris 25 Convention
Committee has voted and the winners are…

T-Shirt: Darrel N. of Scarborough, Ontario
Pin: Andrew G. of Mississauga, Ontario

Both receive a Free Terra-Level Membership and a finished copy of
their creation.  Visit http://artcontest.tcon.ca to see winning
designs. Check back later to see mock-ups.

Polaris 25 t-shirts will be available in both Black and Smoke Gray.
You can either pre-order them when you register via our Membership
Online Registration (MOR) page:
http://www.tcon.ca/polaris/modules/content/?id=112 or purchase them
during the convention at the Con Sales desk outside the Dealers Room.

If you’ve already registered and wish to add a t-shirt, write to:
info@tcon.ca and provide all information including your confirmation
number.

To find out how to get a free pin, visit the Volunteers Desk during
the convention.

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4.  RETURNING TO POLARIS THIS YEAR: THE SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE

Back by popular demand! Polaris welcomes Th’Elf & The Crew of DSoL
Productions as our DJs again this year. We received such amazing
feedback from you the past few years that we will have DSoL
Productions returning again for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of
Polaris. Visit our webpage
http://www.tcon.ca/polaris/modules/content/?id=18 to send in your
requests via the Dance Request Form. See you on the dance floor!

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5.  RETURNING TO POLARIS THIS YEAR: KLINGON KARAOKE

Sing your Klingon lungs out! Tired of singing to yourself in the
shower? Klingon Karaoke is the place to be! And it’s not just for
Klingons… Anyone with a song in their heart can come give the
Karaoke a try. Or just come watch your fellow sci-fi fans as they
warble and croon their way through classic tunes and modern hits. If
you think of some songs that you would like to sing, visit the Klingon
Karaoke webpage and fill out the Request Form…Now!.

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6.  THE CONSTELLATION AWARDS WANTS YOU - TO JOIN OUR TEAM!

The Constellation Awards team is still looking for new team members to
help us plan and run our event this year. Here are some of the
positions where we could use YOUR enthusiasm and hard work. Note that
team members can take on multiple roles, if more than one of these
positions are of interest. Team members will be expected to attend our
committee meetings (currently held one Saturday afternoon per month in
the Woodbine & Steeles area of Toronto) whenever possible.

1) Marketing Team Member

The Constellation Awards needs a team member to take on some of the
legwork to help market and promote our event. This will include
helping to coordinate advertising swaps, promo tables, etc., as well
as working with our Sponsorship and Graphics teams to put together and
distribute material to help promote the awards. Some Desktop
Publishing skills (flyers, brochures, etc.) would be helpful, but are
not essential.

2) Media Liaison

The Constellation Awards team also has a role open for a media liaison
to help coordinate the media who attend our event. Previous experience
in working with the media would be helpful, but is not mandatory for
this role.

All applicants must understand that not everyone is suitable for all
positions. While experience is not necessarily required, only people
who can demonstrate the required skills will be considered for any of
the roles. Because the Awards Team is small, anybody taking on a
pre-ceremonies role may also be expected to help out during the actual
awards ceremonies. Please feel free to contact us if you have any
questions, or if you’re ready to dive in and get involved! Just email
constellations@tcon.ca and let us know why you think you’d be a good
addition to our team. We look forward to hearing from you!

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For more information on these and other TCON Promotional Society Events, please visit http://www.tcon.ca/