Is yours the best gay-sports group in the world?

$250 prize announced. Entry open to all gay teams and leagues around the world.

We’re thrilled to announce that we will be giving a $250 cash prize to the organization that wins our BEST GAY TEAM OR LEAGUE IN 2008 contest next month. We at Outsports recognize that as the economy shrinks it becomes harder and harder for groups to raise the money that is critical to their existence, and we are thrilled to be able to help out in this way.

This year Outsports is bringing back our annual award for the Best Gay-Sports Group in the World, and we want your organization to be a part of it! The contest is open to any local gay-sports team or league that focuses on a single sport anywhere in the world. So many gay, lesbian and trans people put so much time and effort into these groups, and we hope to highlight the results of that hard work. As we'll be profiling many of the groups that enter over the coming weeks and months, it'll be good exposure for your group.

All you have to do to be considered is send us an email at mail@outsports.com with the following information:

• Team or League Name:
• Contact name:
• Web Site:
• City, state and country:
• Sport:
• Year the group was founded:
• Approximate number of members in 2008:
• Why do you think your group is the best gay-sports group of 2008 (limit 120 words):

Every group that enters will be put into an NCAA-tournament-style bracket. Voters from around the world will be able to come to Outsports.com to vote on what was the most noteworthy gay-sports group in the world in 2008. It doesn’t matter what size group you have or where you’re from: We’ll be taking all of that into consideration as we create the brackets to give every group their best chance to win. We’ll also be handing out some special awards to groups we felt excelled in particular areas, so be sure to talk about community service, outreach and growth in your description!

To umbrella, national and international groups, we’re sorry but we’re limiting this to city- and state-based single-sport groups to keep the contest on an equal playing field. However, we’re happy to promote what you’re doing on our blog: Just send us a story or interesting tidbit and we’ll work it into our blog. Also, you are certainly welcome to promote the contest to your member groups!

Deadline to submit your group is Feb. 9 at midnight PT. So get the info together and shoot it off to us. And good luck!