The IFPA is excited to announce that Stern has added Iron Maiden Pro and Premium models to the rewards program. A reminder that the 2017 rewards earned by players expire December 31st, 2018.

The following games are now available under the program: Batman 66 Premium, Iron Maiden Pro, Iron Maiden Premium, Ghostbusters Pro, Ghostbusters Premium, Guardians of the Galaxy Pro, Guardians of the Galaxy Premium, Metallica Pro, Star Trek Vault Pro, Star Trek Vault Premium, Star Wars Pro, Star Wars Premium.

Detailed rules for the $tern Rewards Program, including an updated list of qualifiers, and updated list of rewards available can be found HERE.

Here are the June 2018 IFPA winners for Player of the Month and Biggest Movers:

Player of the Month:
Trent Augenstein (236.60 WPPR’s)

Biggest Movers:
Dan Mitchell (+17,200 spots), Rob Townsend (+17,184 spots) and Dean Story (+16,827 spots)

These players have now all qualified for the Stern Rewards Program for 2018. Congrats to everyone!

We are excited to announce that all 2018-19 IFPA State/Provincial/District Championships will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2019. Additional details will be provided when we get closer to the end of the season. Players are encouraged to reach out to their IFPA State/Provincial/District Representative for any questions regarding your specific Championship.

Other dates worth mentioning:
2018-19 IFPA North American Pinball Championship –> Thursday, March 28th, 2019
2019 IFPA Women’s World Pinball Championship –> Thursday, March 28th, 2019
2019 IFPA Pin-Masters: World Pin-Golf Championships –> Friday, March 29-31, 2019
*These events will all be at Flipperspiel Underground in Las Vegas, NV – 3281 N Decatur Blvd #240

Stern Pinball, Iron Maiden and the International Flipper Pinball Association are teaming up to sponsor a Stern Army High-Score Tournament on Iron Maiden Pro, Premium and LE pinball machines.

The tournament is open to players beginning on August 1, 2018 and end on December 31, 2018.

Players can enter by participating in any IFPA-sanctioned Stern Army events that include Iron Maiden in the tournament:

• Authorized IFPA Stern Army members will organize sanctioned tournament events at the approved Stern Army location.
• The IFPA will establish the tournament settings for the Iron Maiden Pro, Premium and LE games used in sanctioned tournament events.
• Authorized IFPA members will submit high scores from each sanctioned tournament event to the IFPA.
• Authorized IFPA members will email photos of their high scores to ifpapinball@gmail.com. All photos must include a picture of the player’s face, their score on the LCD. Please also include the name, city and country of the location of the event.
• Only scores recorded during the actual Stern Army sanctioned event are eligible for this tournament. Practice games or games played at Stern Army locations outside of the sanctioned tournament itself will not be eligible.
• Players have 72 hours after the IFPA sanctioned event takes place to submit their high score photo into the IFPA.
• The player with the highest score will be the “Beast” until another player tops the score. Other places will be 2) Cyborg Eddie, 3) Piece of Mind Eddie, 4) Aces High and 5) Clairvoyant, and other Legacy of the Beast characters.
• The player with the highest score as of midnight Chicago-time on December 31, 2018, will claim the “Legacy of the Beast” title, playfield, translite and t-shirt.
• The top nine runner-ups will receive Iron Maiden related prizes (signed translites, shirts, and more)

We’ll be keeping a live leaderboard along with any information on upcoming events HERE.

Stephen Haberman qualified himself for the $tern Rewards Program in 2018. The rewards program allows qualifiers to purchase a brand new Stern pinball machine at a special IFPA price. Stephen redeemed his reward for a Guardians of the Galaxy Pro.

Congratulations to Stephen, and remember if you’re interested in qualifying for the $tern Rewards Program, check out the rules here.

In the history of competitive pinball, 29 players have had the chance to call themselves a Major Champion.

The record books will have to wait a little longer to expand that list to 30, as Keith Elwin captured his record 10th Major Championship with a victory at the 2018 Pinburgh Match Play Championships this weekend. Keith also expanded his record for the most top 4 finishes in Major Championships to 17.

Andrei Massenkoff increased his top 4 finishes in Major Championships to 7 (one of only 8 players in the history of the sport to do so). Jim Belsito increased his top 4 finishes in Major Championships to 6 (one of only 10 players to do so). Cryss Stephens increased his top 4 finishes in Major Championships to 4 (one of only 22 players to do so).

To view the most current list of Major Championship stats, click HERE.

Congrats to Keith!

blog post courtesy of Dawn Vermillion

One day when I was on Facebook I found some very intriguing information from an organization called The Project Pinball Charity.
I decided to investigate the site to see what this organization was all about.

I quickly found out that this organization helps put pinball machines in Children Hospital’s and Ronald McDonald Houses. They are an official non-profit organization; meaning they solely run on donations they receive through the community. They raise this money through donations, selling of their merchandise, running online pinball machine raffles, and going to gaming expos. I thought to myself… wow such a wonderful way to give to children. Here are these children in a hospital setting with a potential deadly disease and what better way to help them and to keep their minds free and happy then to play pinball!

I know that children of all ages love to play games and they all should be able to play and have fun, just like all other kids their age.

I could only imagine seeing their faces light up when they see the shiny pinball machine with all its lights, sounds, and images to open their minds and give them a new hope to get up each day and enjoy every second that day gives them. The Project Pinball Charity’s Facebook and other social media outlets that I have come across have helped me see that for myself. The look on the children’s faces is like a mirror into a happy place far away from the real pain of life.

As I reminisce of playing on a pinball machine when I was young in an arcade; I look back and wish there was an organization around like this back in the day. Playing pinball now can be a new way to help others go into their fantasy world while they are playing. Instead, of trying to fight a disease or illness they fight the pinball machine to get that high score, smile, and know they did win that day.

I know hard work pays off and the Love Across America Tour is in its 4th year and going strong. It is a wonderful way to network and show the country all the amazing things that Project Pinball does. It allows the people that support Project Pinball have the opportunity to meet some of the team members in person. Scheduling over 11 states to visit with many more places to stop in between. This tour is a true dedication from the Project Pinball team and how much it means for them to go around America and meet people that may become a potential long-term sponsor of their mission or a friend for life.

The Love Across America Tour takes the Project Pinball Team to many great shows that have organizations that support Project Pinball. These organizations help network with extraordinary talent and allows for great exposure for Project Pinball. Also, by utilizing social networking so America and beyond can see in person what is going on in real time.
From what I have seen remarkable things happen because of the hard work and dedication that the Project Pinball team gives to this charity. They have a great source of networking with others and they find out what loyalty is with all the supporters of the organization, including their own team’s dedication.

People will give and enjoy giving when they know their money is going to a great cause. The more Project Pinball is seen and heard about, the more the message gets through of the remarkable things they are doing for the children.

Seeing is believing and as I review the video of the dedications and the images from all the people and places that the organization meets just fills me with immense joy. I just think of how miracles happen daily to bring the Project Pinball team together with so many people in hospitals, at events, and in emails/phone calls. This organization is helping bring people together for a greater calling and know that God is supporting Project Pinball in a very fruitful way.

Northwest News in Fort Wayne, Indiana reported on the recent rise of Lauren Hockemeyer and Garrett Meekin who recently earned themselves a Biggest Mover award in the IFPA World Pinball Player Rankings. Click HERE to read the article.

We’re halfway through the 2018-19 IFPA North American Championship Series season, and we couldn’t be more excited about how this season is shaping up.

We currently have 51 States and Provinces included in the NACS with over 11,000 players participating. This will all culminate in the various IFPA State Championship and Provincial Championship finals held across the continent. These finals will all be held simultaneously on January 19th, 2019, with over 1000 finalists competing for not only a State/Provincial Championship title, but also a spot in the IFPA North American Pinball Championship.

New for this year, we have currently collected over $40,000 in endorsement fees across the 1870 events that have been played in North America so far this year. Also new is the establishment of “Super States” which will expand the number of qualifiers from 16 to 24. Any State/Province with at least 400 unique players and 100 unique events will be eligible. So far through half the year we’ve already seen 4 States hit this level (Washington, Michigan, Ohio and Texas).

View the current NACS standings and prize money distribution HERE.

A reminder that the official satellite spots for the IFPA16 World Pinball Championship will come from the 2018-19 IFPA North American Pinball Championship, and the 2018-19 IFPA European Pinball Championship. The highest finisher in each final that has not yet qualified for IFPA16 will win a free spot into the World Championship.

blog post courtesy of Nitro Pinball

Our first annual Vancouver FlipOut Pinball Expo, held in September of 2016 was a fantastic success: Old school arcade classics and the latest cutting edge pinball technology; a local autistic pinball prodigy, competitive and amateur tournaments, the world’s largest pinball machine, and much more. 2017 proved to be an even bigger success and prompted our move to a larger venue for 2018!

Hundreds of visitors attend our three-day expo in Downtown Vancouver with over 100 pinball & arcade machines set to free play, guest speakers, vendors and tournaments for all ages and skills.

Mondo thanks to everyone that helped, supported, sponsored & attended! None of this would be possible without the incredible team involved. This truly was a magnificent gathering of pinheads from around the world! I look forward to VFO 2018, at our new home The Roundhouse in Yaletown. As Oscar Goldman would say “Better, stronger, faster!” — See you Sep 7-9, 2018!

Click HERE for more details