WOKING, UK. – 12th August 2009 – THQ Inc. announce the launch of a nationwide competition to find the UK’s most imaginative and creative up-and-coming child artists.

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, the innovative new videogame which allows children to create their own world by drawing directly into the game, THQ has launched the ‘Your Hero’ competition. This nationwide initiative invites children from across the UK to create their own videogame hero for a chance to win art supplies for their school as well as the unique opportunity to have their creation appear on advertising billboards around their home town as part of the game’s outdoor advertising campaign.

The “Your Hero” competition centres around an online hub (www.drawyourhero.com), where visitors can create their own hero character using the in-game drawing tools before entering them into the competition and sharing them with friends through the website’s gallery. Visitors to the site will vote for their favourite designs, with the top five from each region moving through to the final voting stage where regional winners will be selected by a celebrity judge. Each regional winner will see their creation brought to life in their local town via a billboard, win art supplies for their school and copy of the game for themselves.

An overall national winner will be selected by the celebrity judge in October and will have their design unveiled to the world at a London gallery event, as well as bagging a host of exclusive prizes.

Elizabeth Blackman, Product Marketing Manager for UK & Europe commented:
“The Drawn to Life brand is all about fostering creativity so we are hoping this promotion will enable children to engage with games in a creative and fun way. Drawing is fundamental to every child’s development so working to put art supplies in schools is a natural fit.”

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter will release on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS on 16 October in the UK.

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About Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
In Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for Wii, players will draw their own heroes using the Wii Remote™ to find the Artifacts of Power and rid the Raposa village of an evil, shadowy figure that has taken over the land. Throughout the game, players can? draw more than 100 unique items from robust drawing tools, such as vehicles, weapons and tools, to conquer their enemies. The all-new Action Drawing tool allows for objects to be drawn directly into the game to help navigate through several environments, including a sky world, a jungle and a shadow city. In addition, the game’s multi-player feature will allow players to draw their team members and equipment to compete against others in a variety of mini-games, such as soccer, hockey and basketball.
In Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for Nintendo DS, players will be able to draw their own heroes, be it humans, animals or multi-limbed creatures, and will embark on a brand new adventure aboard a Turtle Ship to defeat the evil Wilfre and restore color to the Raposa civilization. Players will have the ability to morph their hero into a blob or a spider, adding more gameplay and allowing for players to play each level a variety of different ways. The game’s Action Drawing Tool gives each color special properties when drawing objects into the game to help solve puzzles and player progression. Along the way, they will collect coins and color drops to unlock a variety of content, including challenges and quests, customization options and hero abilities. In addition, the game’s multi-player aspect allows players to trade heroes, weapons, items and accessories with friends.