badges
Badges & Levels Explained
How contribution levels and badges work: the thresholds, the credit rewards, and where your achievements appear.
What Are Badges & Levels?
Quiet Camping recognizes members who give back to the community through **badges** and **contribution levels**. They are automatic, permanent, and always free — there is nothing to buy and nothing to apply for.
- **Levels** reflect your overall contribution to the network (sites submitted and reviews written).
- **Badges** celebrate specific achievements — from being an original member to exploring new regions.
Earning a badge or reaching a new level also awards **credits**, which you can spend to unlock site details. Your achievements appear on your **Dashboard** under *Badges & Level*, and your highest badge travels with your public contributions (reviews, submitted sites).
The Levels
There are **three contribution levels**. Reaching a new level awards a one-time credit bonus plus the matching badge:
- **Contributor** — 1 approved site **or** 3 reviews → **+1 credit** and the Contributor badge
- **Active Contributor** — 5 approved sites **or** 10 reviews → **+2 credits** and the Active Contributor badge
- **Top Contributor** — 15 approved sites, **or** a 90% approval rate (with at least 10 submissions), **or** 25 reviews → **+3 credits** and the Top Contributor badge
Levels are checked automatically after each approved submission. You only receive the level-up bonus once per level — reaching Top Contributor doesn't re-pay the lower levels.
The Badges
Here are all the badges currently available. Each badge with a credit reward adds those credits to your balance once, the first time you earn it:
- **🏅 Founding Member** — an original member of the Quiet Camping community *(0 credits)*
- **🏅 Trailblazer** — the first member to submit a site in a new region *(+1 credit)*
- **🏅 Recruiter** — brought a new member into the community *(+1 credit)*
- **🏅 Contributor** — 1 approved site or 3 reviews *(+1 credit)*
- **🏅 Active Contributor** — 5 approved sites or 10 reviews *(+2 credits)*
- **🏅 Top Contributor** — 15 approved sites, 90% approval rate, or 25 reviews *(+3 credits)*
- **🏅 Verified Camper** — condition update with a photo from the actual site *(+1 credit)*
- **🏅 Seasoned** — contributions in all 4 seasons *(+1 credit)*
- **🏅 Wild Card** — submits a backcountry, paddle-in, or remote site *(+1 credit)*
Where Your Achievements Appear
- **Your Dashboard** — the *Badges & Level* card shows your current level and every badge you've earned.
- **On reviews** — your highest-value badge appears as a 🏅 chip next to your **first name** (e.g. "Sarah 🏅 Contributor").
- **On submitted sites** — the site's community notice reads *"Submitted by a [level]"* (e.g. "Submitted by a Contributor"). Only the level is shown — your identity is never revealed.
- **Admin panel** — staff can see badges and levels on member profiles (visible to administrators only).
How Badges Are Awarded
Everything is **automatic** — no action needed on your part:
- Badges are granted the moment you meet the criteria (first approved site in a region, first referred member's approved submission, and so on).
- The **Founding Member** badge was awarded to everyone who joined before the public launch — if you're reading this, you already have it.
- Badge credits are added to your balance immediately and appear in your credit history.
Hover over a badge on your Dashboard to see what it celebrates. Badges celebrate achievements; **trust levels** reflect how much the community can rely on you — see the *Trust Levels* guide for how that works.