College students, rejoice! University-level SMITE esports opportunities are coming your way in early 2019.
Hi-Rez Studios has partnered with NACE (the National Association of Collegiate Esports) for another round of collegiate SMITE action. Last Fall, we joined forces to bring you the NACE SMITE Championships that fed directly into HRX at DreamHack Atlanta.
Going into 2019, we’re offering another esports opportunity for university students in the US — the NACE SMITE 2019 Gem Cup! Throughout the Spring of 2019, we’ll be hosting weekly tournaments where teams from colleges all over the country can go head-to-head on the Battleground for a chance at gem prizing.
Registration begins January 1, 2019. Keep reading for more information on the Gem Cup and how you can register your school’s team to participate in the tournament!
NACE 2019 Gem Cup Format & Prizing
The tournament format for the 2019 Gem Cup is as follows:
- 32-team double elimination bracket
- Seeding based on placement in NACE Championships
- Regular matches will be best-of-three (Bo3)
- Finals matches will be best-of-five (Bo5)
Using this format, we will run the Gem Cup according to the following schedule:
- One match per week
- Matches are played on Saturdays @ 6:00 PM CT
- First match begins Saturday, February 2
After the entire double-elimination bracket has been completed, gem prizing for this tournament circuit will be awarded as follows:
- 1st Place: 7,000 gems per player
- 2nd Place: 3,000 gems per player
- 3rd-4th Place: 1,200 gems per player
- 5th-8th Place: 400 gems per player
Match rules, procedures, and results reporting will be similar to the NACE Championships.
NACE 2019 Gem Cup Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible to participate in the 2019 Gem Cup, you must meet the following requirements:
- Part-time or full-time student according to your university’s standards
- Attending a US or Canadian college or university
- Minimum of 6 credit hours this fall
- Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA on 4.00 scale
Both NACE and non-NACE schools can participate, but players on a team MUST attend the same US or Canadian college or university.
Additional eligibility details for schools include:
- Schools who have already participated in the NACE Championships last year will be able to opt in via a form when registration begins on January 1
- Schools can have multiple teams compete in the tournament
- New teams will be able to register for the tournament beginning January 1
There are no entry fees for registering, and all eligible teams will receive five God Packs to add to their account following successful registration.
If you and your teammates meet the requirements listed above, check out the next section to see how you can sign up to participate in this collegiate SMITE circuit!
How to Register for the NACE SMITE 2019 Gem Cup
If you (and your school) meet all the requirements listed above, follow the steps below to get registered for the tournament:
Step 1: Visit the NACE SMITE 2019 Toornament page and click the “Register to the Tournament” button at the top.
Step 2: Provide your team information and primary contact info.
Step 3: Provide player information and contact info for all 5 players on your starting roster, as well as your substitute player (if applicable).
That’s all there is to it! Once again, registration for this tournament is 100% free of charge for all college students who are interested in participating.
Registration is now open, and will close at midnight on January 31.
That’s all you need to know to get involved at the collegiate level with NACE and SMITE! For further announcements and registration reminders follow us on Twitter @SmitePro or join the Skillshot College Discord. And more college esports goodness, follow @NACesports to get updates on new opportunities at the university level!