Nintendo Australia has announced that for the first time, Australia will be competing in the Pokémon Video Game World Championships to be held in Vancouver, Canada. Five State Pokémon Battle Competitions have been announced, the winners of which will travel to Melbourne to compete in the first Australian National Championships. The National Championships will be held at the PAX Australia show which has already sold out; winners and runners-up of the State tournaments will be awarded with tickets to the event along with flights and accommodation.

The press release also indicates that New Zealand players will be able to compete however no competition dates or locations have been announced for New Zealand yet. Full details are below.

Win a Trip to the 2013 Pokémon Video Game World Championships in Vancouver, Canada!

This year, Pokémon fans from around Australia and New Zealand will have the chance to compete in the Pokémon Video Game Australian National Championships, to be held at the sold-out PAX Australia in Melbourne on the 20th and 21st July, 2013.

Players will battle it out on the Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 games utilising the following rules for a chance to win a trip to Vancouver, Canada to compete in the 2013 Pokémon Video Game World Championships to be held on 9th -11th August, 2013. The following age divisions will apply:

•       Junior Division: Born in 2002 or later

•       Senior Division: Born in 1998, 1999, 2000, or 2001

•       Masters Division: Born in 1997 or earlier

Players who place in the top two of their age division will win flights, accommodation and invitation to the Pokémon Video Game World Championships, hosted by The Pokémon Company International.

Hopeful competitors without a ticket to the sold-out PAX Australia will have the opportunity to battle for the chance to win flights, accommodation and entry tickets to the expo plus additional standalone tickets to PAX at a number of Pokémon Meet-ups to be held around Australia in the coming weeks. Pokémon Battle Competitions will take place at the following Pokémon Meet-ups:

•       Perth (Supanova Pop Culture Expo) Sunday 30th June

•       Melbourne (Deakin Edge – Federation Square)  Saturday 6th July

•       Brisbane (Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre) Sunday 7th July

•       Adelaide (AVCon Anime and Video Game Convention) Saturday 13th July

•       Sydney (Luna Park) Sunday 14th July

Players should familiarise themselves with the rules before attending a Pokémon Battle Competition at a Pokémon Meet-Up.

Further information regarding the Pokémon Video Game Australian National Championships, Pokémon Meet-ups and how Pokémon fans from Australia and New Zealand can win tickets to attend PAX Australia will be released at a later date.

Source: http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=news&nid=2939