Event Rewards in Pokémon GO Explained

Every Pokémon GO event promises "rewards", but the word covers very different things. Some rewards are items waiting in your research journal, some only exist while a bonus is running, some are Pokémon you'll keep forever, and a few are badges that simply record that you were there. Knowing which is which tells you what to prioritise and what you can safely ignore. For the basics of the game itself, head to the Trainer Hub homepage.

Event rewards at a glance

Reward	How you earn it	Does it expire?	What to do
Event Field Research	Spinning PokéStops during the event	New tasks stop appearing when the event ends	Collect early, keep the best encounters
Timed Research	Appears in your journal for the event	Yes, at the deadline shown	Finish and claim before the timer runs out
Special Research	Unlocked by an event or a ticket	Usually not once claimed, but some must be claimed by a stated date	Claim it promptly, then work through it at your own pace
Collection Challenge	Catching, hatching, evolving or otherwise obtaining listed Pokémon	Yes, with the event	Check how each listed species has to be obtained
Active bonuses	Playing while the event is live	Mostly when it ends; check for exceptions, such as Eggs incubated during it or a longer evolution window	Time your catching, hatching or trading to them
Event Pokémon and moves	Catching, raiding, hatching or evolving in the window	No, what you get is yours	Prioritise anything that won't be back soon
Badges and medal progress	Taking part, or reaching milestones	No	Nothing to claim; it's a record

Research: rewards you have to claim

Research is where most tangible event rewards live. Event Field Research comes from PokéStops and usually pays out an encounter with a featured Pokémon, or items. Timed Research carries a countdown (sometimes running past the event's end), and unclaimed rewards can vanish with it. Special Research generally has no deadline once it's in your journal, though some event and ticketed stories have to be claimed by a set date. Our Field Research and Special Research guide covers the day-to-day basics; for events, the key habit is checking for a timer.

A Collection Challenge is the odd one out. It isn't a storyline, just a list of Pokémon to catch or otherwise obtain, with a reward when the whole list is ticked off. Some challenges have included species that mostly come from raids or Eggs, or have asked you to evolve rather than catch, so look at how each entry has to be obtained instead of assuming everything spawns in the wild.

Timing your play around bonuses

You can't bank a bonus, so the only way to collect it is to do the matching activity while it's live.

Stardust bonus: read which activities it covers, since some have included hatching as well as catching; a Star Piece on top generally stacks.
XP bonus: check which activity it applies to, then pair that activity with a Lucky Egg. If evolving is included, save up evolutions for the window.
Candy bonus: catch and transfer the species you're building towards evolving.
Hatching bonus: check the announcement's wording. Reduced hatch distances have usually applied to Eggs put in an Incubator while the event is live, so hatch older Eggs beforehand if you can and start fresh ones once it begins. Event Egg pools generally apply only to Eggs picked up during the event.

What you keep after an event

The longest-lasting reward from most events is the Pokémon themselves. Events are when new species tend to debut, shiny forms are often released or made easier to find, and costumed Pokémon appear. Anything you catch is yours to keep, with two caveats. Many costumed Pokémon can't be evolved, so check before you plan around one. Moves taught during an event, such as a Community Day move learned by evolving in the window, stay on that Pokémon; afterwards the same move may only be available through special means such as an Elite TM, which our guide to Fast, Charged and Elite TMs covers.

Some events have also given certain Pokémon a special background, a cosmetic backdrop that stays with that Pokémon. The announcement says when one applies.

Badges and medals

Your Trainer profile keeps a few kinds of long-term record, and two of them matter most for events. Medals are lifetime counters, such as distance walked, Pokémon caught or raids won, that move up through tiers as you hit milestones; they aren't tied to any single event, but a busy event can push several forward at once. Event badges are different: some events, particularly in-person and ticketed ones, award a badge that shows you took part. They generally don't give items or power; think of them as a keepsake.

Before an event ends: a five-minute reward audit

Open your research journal, find anything with a countdown, and claim every completed step; tap the reward icons rather than assuming they were collected automatically.
Make room in your Pokémon storage so any reward encounters can actually be caught.
Evolve anything that needs the event window for a special move.
Use any remaining bonus that matters to you, such as putting fresh Eggs into Incubators while a reduced hatch distance is still active, or one last batch of evolving.

Event reward questions

Do event Field Research tasks disappear when the event ends?

New event tasks stop appearing from PokéStops, but tasks already in your journal have generally stayed there until you complete or remove them. If you're saving some for later, check the announcement in case it says otherwise.

Are event rewards the same everywhere?

Global events generally offer the same rewards worldwide, though spawns can differ by habitat and some in-person events have exclusive content.

Where can I see exactly what an event gives?

In the in-game news and the event's announcement, which set out the bonuses, research rewards and any location-specific extras.