Free available badges

[CodesBySanjay]

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How many badges can I obtain currently on github for free?

[AmirhosseinHonardoust]

right now, I think you can earn around 7 free badges on github (like quickdraw, pull shark, yolo, pair extraordinaire, starstruck, public sponsor, and in some cases galaxy brain). some older ones (like arctic code vault) are retired and can’t be earned anymore.

[rafa-houssam]

for what these badges are use for

[esparzar]

Hey @CodesBySanjay, great question. - I was curious about this too when I first started on GitHub. Here's what I've found about the free badges you can earn:

From what I've seen, GitHub has several cool badges you can get just by being active on the platform:

These are a few common ones and others:

• Quickdraw - when you close an issue really fast
• Starstruck - when a repo gets popular overnight (so exciting!)
• Pair Extraordinaire - from collaborating with others on code

Other common ones:

• YOLO - merging PRs without reviews (we've all been there! 😅)
• Pull Shark - for getting PRs merged
• Galaxy Brain - actually from helping others here in the community!

I'd definitely check your Profile → Achievements section - it shows you which ones you already have and which are still locked. The locked ones even give you hints about how to earn them!

Pro tip: The Galaxy Brain badge is perfect for Community participation, so you're already on the right track by asking questions here! 🧠

Happy badge hunting! 🏆.

If you find it helpful, please like the comment.

[rafa-houssam]

but i want to know the importance of these badges or just they're badges no more no less

[Tyagism]

following are some of badges that are available to be earned :-

Quickdraw, Starstruck, Pair Extraordinaire, YOLO, Pull Shark, Galaxy Brain

[CodesBySanjay]

I've gotten my comments marked as answers (atleast 2 on another account)... Didn't get the galaxy brain

…

On Thu, 2 Oct, 2025, 20:44 Esparzar, ***@***.***> wrote: Hey @CodesBySanjay <https://github.com/CodesBySanjay>, great question. - I was curious about this too when I first started on GitHub. Here's what I've found about the free badges you can earn: From what I've seen, GitHub has several cool badges you can get just by being active on the platform: *These are a few common ones and others:* - *Quickdraw* - when you close an issue really fast - *Starstruck* - when a repo gets popular overnight (so exciting!) - *Pair Extraordinaire* - from collaborating with others on code *Other common ones:* - *YOLO* - merging PRs without reviews (we've all been there! 😅) - *Pull Shark* - for getting PRs merged - *Galaxy Brain* - actually from helping others here in the community! I'd definitely check your *Profile → Achievements* section - it shows you which ones you already have and which are still locked. The locked ones even give you hints about how to earn them! Pro tip: The Galaxy Brain badge is perfect for Community participation, so you're already on the right track by asking questions here! 🧠 Happy badge hunting! 🏆. If you find it helpful, please like the comment. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#175547 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AOU7KTOD6L35HQFPNIP3DSL3VU6MFAVCNFSM6AAAAACIDCLH26VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTINJXGUZDAMA> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ashmeet07]

🛡️ Free Obtainable GitHub Achievement Badges

You can currently obtain 7 official achievement badges on GitHub for free by contributing and engaging with the platform.

Here is the list of the most commonly earned achievements and how to unlock the base tier for each:

Badge Name	How to Earn (Base Tier)	Tier Levels Available
Quickdraw	Close an Issue or Pull Request within 5 minutes of opening it.	Default
YOLO	Merge your own Pull Request (PR) without a review.	Default
Pull Shark	Have 2 Pull Requests (PRs) merged.	Default, Bronze (16 PRs), Silver, Gold
Pair Extraordinaire	Co-author commits on a merged Pull Request (PR).	Default, Bronze (10 PRs), Silver, Gold
Starstruck	Have one of your repositories receive 16 stars.	Default, Bronze (128 stars), Silver, Gold
Galaxy Brain	Have 2 of your replies in a Discussion marked as the Accepted Answer.	Default, Bronze (8 accepted), Silver, Gold
Public Sponsor	Sponsoring any open-source contributor or organization via GitHub Sponsors. (This involves a financial transaction, but is earnable at any tier/amount).	Default

---

🔍 How to Check Your Progress

To see exactly which badges you have and the requirements for the next tiers, check the Achievements section on your personal GitHub profile.

Not Earnable: Retired Badges

Two famous badges are tied to past, one-time events and cannot be earned today:

• Arctic Code Vault Contributor
• Mars 2020 Contributor

Check youtube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWPSmBzziYM&t=5s

[bruuhim]

Great answers above! Just to clarify on Galaxy Brain since @CodesBySanjay mentioned not receiving it:

Important: Galaxy Brain is only earned through repository-level discussions, not here in Community Discussions. So even if your answers are marked as accepted here, they won't count toward the badge.

To earn Galaxy Brain:

1. Find repositories with Discussions enabled
2. Answer questions in those repo discussions
3. Get your answers marked as "Accepted Answer" by the question author
4. You need 2 accepted answers for the base tier

Hope this helps clarify! Good luck with your badge hunting! 🎯

[k-twenty]

Currently, you can obtain a total of 7 GitHub achievement badges for free on your profile. These badges include:

1. Quickdraw: Closing a pull request or issue within 5 minutes of opening it.
2. Pull Shark: Merging 2 pull requests.
3. YOLO: Merging a pull request without a review.
4. Pair Extraordinaire: Co-authoring a merged pull request (requires GitHub Desktop).
5. Galaxy Brain: Having 2 accepted answers in GitHub Community Discussions.
6. Starstruck: Getting 16 stars on one of your repositories.
7. Public Sponsor: Sponsoring a repository, organization, or user on GitHub.

There are a few other badges like "Heart On Your Sleeve" and "Open Sourcerer" that are currently in testing and not publicly available yet. So, for now, these 7 badges make up the free obtainable achievement set on GitHub.

[anasahmedx5]

Quickdraw: Closing a pull request or issue within 5 minutes of opening it.
Pull Shark: Merging 2 pull requests.
YOLO: Merging a pull request without a review.
Pair Extraordinaire: Co-authoring a merged pull request (requires GitHub Desktop).
Galaxy Brain: Having 2 accepted answers in GitHub Community Discussions.
Starstruck: Getting 16 stars on one of your repositories.
Public Sponsor: Sponsoring a repository, organization, or user on GitHub.

[Hilal-11]

Right now you can earn about 7 badges for free:

Quickdraw — close an issue or PR within 5 minutes of opening it
YOLO — merge a PR without a review
Pull Shark — get your PRs merged (tiers unlock at 2 / 16 / 128 / 1024)
Pair Extraordinaire — commit using Co-authored-by: with another person
Starstruck — own a repo that gets 16+ stars
Public Sponsor — sponsor another dev/org on GitHub Sponsors
Galaxy Brain — get your answer accepted in a Q&A Discussion