he next World of Warcraft content patch is nearly here -- but we need your help on the test realms first. We know many of you are willing testers who are eager to check out the new content (check out the patch notes here), but this is a special case, and we need as much participation as possible. These test realms will be on the new hardware we've been looking to install, so the more people playing on them, the better.

To help achieve this goal, we decided to put together some challenging contests on a few of the test realms. We know what you're thinking: What good is a challenging contest without an equally rewarding prize? We felt the same way, which is why the winners of these contests will be awarded a slot in the beta test for our upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade!

The contest realms will be brought online and the contests will begin at 12:01 AM PST on Tuesday, March 7, and run until 11:59 PM PST on Monday, March 27. To participate in any of the contests, your World of Warcraft account must have been created on or before 12:01 PM PST on Monday, March 6, and must have a paid subscription active at that time. Read below for details about each of the three contests including official rules and additional eligibility requirements. Click here for information about the Public Test Realms and to make a PTR character copy.

IMPORTANT: For those interested in trying out the new patch content right away, we plan to bring online three "non-contest" public test realms for normal testing as soon as possible, prior to the launch of the contest realms. Activity on these non-contest realms will not count toward the contest goals.

Be advised that both the contest and non-contest realms are all still test realms, and as such they are not supported by our GM or Technical Support teams. Furthermore, due to the various testing procedures we will be running, these realms will be subject to periods of unexpected, extended instability and downtime. In addition, all contest realms will be taken down daily at 2:00 AM PST for maintenance and patch changes, and they will return to service at approximately 6:00 AM PST.

e have two different realm types for this competition: the Leveling Contest Realm and the Honor Contest Realm. The Leveling Contest Realm will host two different leveling contests, and the Honor Contest Realm will host a Warsong Gulch battleground contest. Details on these contests are listed below.

Race to Level 50 Contest - Quality Over Quantity: Know all the sweet spots to level a character as far and fast as possible? Show us just how quick you are and level to 50 or higher on the Leveling Contest Realm! Up to 1000 players from each of the major regions (US, EU, and Korea) will become winners in this contest -- if there are more than 1000 who reach level 50, then those who reach 50 in the least amount of time will be chosen first, so be efficient!
Click here for the official rules and additional eligibility requirements.

Battle for Warsong Gulch: With the Honor Contest Realm level-capped at level 19, the battlegrounds are the place to be. Jump into the fray on this realm and face off against your fellow competitors -- the 500 players from each region (split evenly between Horde and Alliance, of course) with the highest honor totals by the end of the contest will be the winners!
Click here for the official rules and additional eligibility requirements.

Most Level-25 Characters Contest - Quantity Over Quality: We know you're out there -- you don't have a level 60, but you've got a dozen level-30ish characters on your account and simply can't decide on a "main" character. This contest, which also takes place on the Leveling Contest Realm, is for you! We're looking to see how many characters you can get to level 25 in the time provided. The top 1000 players from each region with the most level-25 characters on their accounts will win! Don’t worry if you fill up all 10 characters slots; simply delete one of the existing characters that you just leveled to 25 and keep on going!
Click here for the official rules and additional eligibility requirements.