Users can unlock the badge by liking the Chronicle and checking in at the places they’ve recommended around Austin. Additional levels unlock with each additional check-in. The unlock text reads:

Movies. Music. Grub. Glug. You have a taste for the very best Austin has to offer, from old-school haunts to buzzy new jaunts – just like us! If it’s important to Austin, it’s in the Austin Chronicle.

The Chronicle is an independent paper, but it’s an affiliate of Voice Media Group, who launched a series of badges for all their local papers in January.

What do you think of the badge?

Foursquare users can unlock the badge by liking the LA Times and checking in at the restaurants on Gold’s list of the top 101 restaurants in LA. To make them easier to find, the Times has created a Foursquare list that includes photos and tips from Gold. As you check in to more places on the list, you’ll unlock new levels of the badge. The unlock text reads:

You came. You tasted. You conquered. Keep dining at all of Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants and successfully discover the belly of the city with the Los Angeles Times!

This marks Gold’s first list with the LA Times. He was previously the restaurant critic for LA Weekly, where his choices formed the core of their badge as well.

What do you think of the badge?

To unlock the badge for your favorite ice cream shop and register your vote for them in the competition, simply check in to the shop with the hashtag #gameofcones between now and June 21. The unlock text reads:

The battle for the Iron Cone is upon us! Check in with the hashtag #GameOfCones at your favorite ice cream shop as many times as possible between June 7 and June 21 to help them win the Iron Cone. gameofcones.foursquare.com #SummerIsComing

Which house will you be joining?

Fans can unlock the NBA Finals badge by liking the NBA and checking in to one of the games in either Miami or San Antonio. The unlock text reads:

It all comes down to this. Stars become legends. NBA history is made. And YOU get to witness it first-hand. This is the NBA Finals!

This is the second time Foursquare has offered badges for the NBA Finals. In 2010, they created two badges — one for the Lakers, one for the Celtics — as a trial. Users could unlock those simply by shouting either team’s name along with a check-in.

What do you think of the badge?

The Orange Champion badge can be unlocked beginning May 26 by liking Orange and checking in at events like the French Open (which begins Sunday), the Tour de France, as well as the soccer and rugby championships. Fans will gain additional levels for checking in to more events.

Users will be able to connect their Foursquare accounts to Orange (using a link revealed in the unlock text) to be eligible for exclusive prizes.

This is the second badge from Orange France. Last June they sponsored a badge for the Tour de France.

What do you think of the new badge?

Just like other expertise badges, you can earn level one of each badge by checking in five times at the same restaurant or at three different restaurants in the same category. Level two is unlocked when you’ve visited five different places, and each subsequent level (up to ten) unlocks with every five new venues.

The badges are:

Badge	Name	Unlock Text
	Sweet n' Sour Check-In	Scallion pancakes. Soup dumplings. Stinky tofu. Whether you're slurping chow mein from a greasy takeout box or reaching for more dim sum off the lazy susan, just be sure you're using chopsticks!
	Earl of Sandwich	Cold cuts to artisanal paninis — any way you slice it, it's still a sandwich.
	The Life Aquatic	Who needs chicken when you can have chicken of the sea? It's a crustacean sensation!
	Molto Buono	Pasta, lasagna, fettuccine, linguine, those ones shaped like little wheels. Now grab your better half and pull a "Lady and the Tramp." Mama mia!

If you have enough check-ins to qualify for one of the badges already, you’ll unlock it with your next check-in to a qualifying venue.

Which of the new badges is your favorite?

Foursquare users can unlock the badge by liking the European Parliament and checking in at the locations on their lists, which include the greenest cities of Europe, the Parliament Information Offices and the continent’s cultural hotspots, among others. The unlock text reads:

EU-reka, you have it: the European Union badge! Regardless if you’re a Eurocrat, an EU geek or just a curious passer-by, don’t forget to vote 2014. This time, it’s different.

What do you think of the badge?

To help users find the best dishes, Creative Loafing has created a 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die list on Foursquare. Users in Atlanta can unlock the badge by following Creative Loafing and checking in at those restaurants. The rest of us can just stare at the delicious food photography and drool.

The unlock text reads:

You’re straddling the line between ultimate Atlanta foodie and total glutton, but who are we to judge? Creative Loafing reminds you to eat on, friend!

Like other recent partner badges, the Creative Loafing 100 Dishes badge levels up with subsequent check-ins at restaurants on the list. Users can unlock up to 10 levels of the badge.

This is Creative Loafing’s first Foursquare badge.

What do you think of the badge?

Visitors to the Open House, a university tradition that dates back to 1969 (and builds on previous traditions), were able to unlock the badge by checking in to five of the locations on the University’s Open House Scavenger Hunt Foursquare list (there will be other ways to earn it after Open House). The unlock text reads:

In the words of the alma mater, K-State really is a spot you know full well. This badge proves you are a true Wildcat fan!

What do you think of the badge?

To unlock the badge, Foursquare users should like the Tribeca Film Festival and check in to festival locations during the course of the event, April 17–28. The unlock text reads:

Cheers to a true film connoisseur! Flash this badge at participating Tribeca Film Festival venues to get rewards brought to you by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®. Discover all the spots here: www.tribecafilm.com/maps

Bombay Sapphire is sponsoring the official map for the festival, which is once again powered by Foursquare data. It displays the official festival locations and partner bars, many of which are offering Foursquare specials for festival-themed drinks. My favorite? The “Zero Dark Thirsty” at Blue Water Grill.

Badgeholders are also eligible for discounts on official festival merchandise.

What do you think of this year’s badge?