Game On! Northwestern Mutual Teams with Sports Illustrated to Launch a NCAA® March Madness® Bracket Challenge

MILWAUKEE, March 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual is joining with Sports Illustrated to give college basketball fans a chance to win a trip to the 2013 NCAA Men's Final Four® in Atlanta, Ga. The NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge awards one winner a trip for two to next year's big event in college basketball. The bracket challenge kicks off Northwestern Mutual's recently formed corporate partnership with the NCAA.

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Consumers can register on the challenge website to play the game. Participants must obtain an entry code through a Northwestern Mutual financial representative to receive access to the game. Consumers can fill out a March Madness Division I men's basketball bracket following the announcement of the 2012 brackets on March 11 through March 15, 2012.[1]  The Bracket Challenge provides consumers with a way to enjoy the NCAA tournament based on competition, not based on sports wagering.   

The bracket challenge winner with the most points based on their team selections will receive two game tickets, plus four nights at a hotel and domestic airfare to the 2013 Men's Final Four in Atlanta.

"The March Madness tournament is one of the most exciting sports events in the country, and we are thrilled to partner with the Sports Illustrated to offer our financial representatives and sports fans the opportunity to get in on the action," said Conrad York, vice president of marketing. "As our newly formed partnership with the NCAA continues, we look forward to unveiling additional activities beyond March Madness that will engage new and future clients."

The winner will be notified of their prize package on or about April 16, 2012.

For more information about the Northwestern Mutual NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge, including the game rules, visit http://northwesternmutualbracket.si.com/pages/rules.

To learn more about Northwestern Mutual's NCAA partnership, visit here.

About Northwestern Mutual
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company – Milwaukee, WI (Northwestern Mutual) –  among the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2012 according to FORTUNE® magazine – has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 150 years. As a mutual company with $1.2 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual seeks to share its gains, where possible, with policyowners and deliver consistent and dependable value to clients over time. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins (Kraft).

NCAA, March Madness, Final Four, Women's Final Four and College World Series are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

About Turner Sports (SI.com)
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

[1] The Northwestern Mutual March Madness Bracket Challenge will be live between March 11, 2012 (following the announcement of the brackets) and March 15, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Winners will be announced on or around April 16, 2012. For Official Rules visit http://northwesternmutualbracket.si.com/pages/rules.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual