# Challenges

You can create challenges to incentivize activity during a specified date range. If you offer memberships, you can also create new member challenges.

*Customers must join a challenge in order to earn rewards from it. Simply completing the required activities is not enough.*

**Challenge Requirements**

You can customize challenges with any number of requirements, such as:

* Spend $100 on retail
* Check into your business 8 times
* Take 4 classes
* Refer one friend

## **Who can participate in a challenge?**

Challenges may be restricted to:

* Active members
* Active rewards program members
* Certain locations
* [Custom attributes](/features/customers/custom-attributes.md)
* Within a specified number of days of a member joining

{% hint style="warning" %}
New member challenges are only available if your business offers memberships.
{% endhint %}

## **What activities can be required in a challenge?**

Challenge requirements can be tied to:

* Standard earning rules in your rewards program (e.g., check-ins, retail spend)
* [**Progress Activities**](/features/earning-rules/activities.md) (0-point transactions logged on the user profile)

{% hint style="info" %}
If your business want to track certain things, like attending a class or signing up for a membership, but not give points for it, you would make use of Progress Activities.
{% endhint %}

## **How are customers notified about a challenge?**

The challenge is marketed in emails and on the site.

Perkville sends the following challenge-related emails:

* Challenge invite
  * Customers must join the challenge by the end of the challenge period in order to earn the completion reward. 
  * Customers may navigate to the challenge URL at any time while the challenge is active to accept the challenge. This URL is not unique to each user and is configured on the challenge. Feel free to pick a memorable, easy to share URL!
* Challenge progress update
* Challenge complete

Customers can opt out of challenge-related emails in their profile settings.

Perkville automatically sends challenge invitations to eligible customers when they complete a relevant activity.

Challenges are also displayed on your rewards website, where customers can view and track their progress.

## When are challenge rewards distributed?

#### Completion Reward

If a customer joins the challenge and completes all requirements within the allotted time, the reward is distributed immediately.

If the challenge ends, a participant can still have [progress added via backdated activities](/features/challenges/manually-adding-challenge-progress.md#adding-progress-after-a-challenge-has-ended). These activities must fall within the challenge's eligible date range. At this time, this can only be done via the Perkville API. If they complete the challenge via these backdated progress activities, then the challenge will be marked as complete and their reward will be distributed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Backdating progress activities to distribute a challenge reward will not work if the participant received the participation reward. Participants cannot earn both the participation reward and completion reward.
{% endhint %}

#### Participation Reward

Customers who joined the challenge but did not complete it will receive the participation reward within 3 days after the challenge ends.


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