Ahh, spring, when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of…badges. (What? No, no, we’re pretty sure it’s badges. What were you thinking of?) Keep your eye on your calendar and your finger hovering over your SCVNGR app this spring and summer, y’all, because we have a ton of seasonal badges waiting for their moment in the sun.

First up is this Northerner’s yearly excuse for pulling out the word “y’all” – the Kentucky Derby! We’re ponying up a brand new badge for everyone who checks in on May 5th. We don’t horse around about any holiday important enough to have its own speciality drink, and the mint julep is one of the best, barn-none.

Now, it’s time to put a halter all the horse puns and move on…to Mother’s Day! If you have — or if you ARE — one of those cool parents who are into current technology, think of a social check-in during Sunday brunch as the greatest gift a kid can give their mom. Except for flowers. And maybe jewelry. But think of the badge, available during all day May 13th, as the icing on the cake. (Ooh, a cake, that’s another good idea…)

On May 28th we have Memorial Day, an exciting picnic opportunity for humans, ants, and talking cartoon bears alike. Pack up your pick-a-nick basket or fire up the grill for an awesome BBQ. Either way, today is the day to kick off a whole season of eating outdoors with friends and family. (The more cynical among you might note that early humans ate outdoors every day before inventing housing. We would suggest that the more cynical among you shut up and eat some watermelon. Mmmmm! Watermelon!)

We don’t want to spook you (oh no, it’s back to the horse puns) with too much more info, but check back soon for a list of awesome badges for June and beyond. We’ll give you a hint on what’s to come: there’ll be least one more occasion-based drink. In the meantime, make sure to snatch all of these up – they only come around once a year! Play early, play often…

Post written by Megan Cunniff

If you’re a soccer fan, we have some great news for you!  

No, we’re not enrolling SCVNGRbot in a league for soccer-playing robots – we thought about that one too, but we were told that it wouldn’t be fair to the other bots.

It’s even better than that: the LA Galaxy and Herbalife have teamed up to sponsor a great series of challenges that are sure to rev up the crowd during Galaxy games!

You might remember the LA Galaxy from their amazing performance last season, winning both the Major League Soccer Cup and the Supporters’ Shield for best season record. And now, when you’re in The Home Depot Center rooting for a repeat, you can play SCVNGR to unlock cool rewards like ticket and merch discounts, a 2011 Championship pin, or even a chance to win a VIP suite for up to 15 people!

The challenges will run throughout the 2012 regular season in two sets, so make sure to check back for fun new ways to play every time you visit the stadium! But since we know you can barely wait for the next game already, here’s a sneak peek of some challenges you might see:

- Who’s the Biggest Fan: Spot the craziest, most die-hard supporter in the stadium! Is it a ACB, Riot Squad, Galaxians or a newcomer? Snap a photo of the most die-hard Galaxy fan!

- Celebrate Good Times: Keane flips, Juninho sambas, Magee impersonates a famous wrestler… Describe your goal celebration if you scored the game winner.

For all you Galaxy super-fans, taking a SHOT at these challenges should definitely be one of your GOALS this season (alright, that’s enough with the soccer puns, I’m really kicking myself over here…)

Visit www.scvngr.com/lagalaxy to get started!

Post written by Megan Cunniff

First of all, +5 nerd points to anyone who gets the title. (Nerd points are a little like SCVNGR points, but you just get Internet cred instead of cool rewards AND Internet cred.)

But Barcelona isn’t just an excuse to squeeze in a sci-fi reference here — it’s also the site of Mobile World Congress, one of the biggest and best conferences for just about anything involving the mobile industry. We know what you’re thinking: sounds like the type of crowd just itching to whip out their phones and play SCVNGR, right?

We (and you) weren’t the only ones to think so. TIBCO is partnering with SCVNGR for a series of knowledge-based challenges to enrich your time at the MWC 2012 exhibition! You can stop by the TIBCO booth to learn more about their contextual mobility solutions, and complete challenges on SCVNGR to unlock free TIBCO swag and a chance to win insanely cool prizes like a pair of Fanny Wang DJ headphones or a Swiss Army Victorinox Chrono watch! A new bar has been set for swag booths worldwide.

Visit scvngr.com/tibco to learn more!

Post written by Megan Cunniff