Since the release of the original Pokemon games, beloved Electric-type Pokemon Pikachu has become one of the most iconic video game mascots of all time, so much so that the city of Yokohama now runs the Pikachu Outbreak festival. This festival fills the streets with Pikachu and runs a variety of Pokemon-themed events, and one lucky Pokemon GO player is going to have the chance to go along courtesy of mobile provider Sprint.

As it turns out, Sprint is running a competition for Pokemon GO players, with the grand prize being a five night trip to Yokohama with up to three guests and $6,250 worth of gift cards. The winner will be flown out to Japan to witness the Pikachu Outbreak festival first-hand, which is no doubt an alluring prospect for any Pokemon fan.

The competition comes courtesy of the Sprint Trainer Rewards Program, and is open to any trainer who signs up to the program itself. Simply head on over to the competition page and enter. Although the rewards program is generally used to incentivize the use of Sprint locations when playing Pokemon GO, trainers do not need to use a Sprint device in order to enter the competition.

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Although the grand prize is the trip to the Pikachu Outbreak festival itself, there are several other runner-up prizes that are worth looking into. Other entries could come away with an iPhone 7, an Apple Watch, or Amazon Gift cards. The competition runs from now until July 7, so there's plenty of time to get that registration in.

This is not the only time that Sprint has taken an active interest in the Pokemon GO community, either. Alongside the trainer rewards program itself, Sprint has also run other events, with the mobile provider most recently giving away promo codes for lucky eggs, great balls, and more at various Sprint stores.

Indeed, Sprint is far from the only company that has seen Pokemon GO as a means to increase awareness of its brand, and this is something that The Pokemon Company and Niantic have taken full advantage of in order to help monetize the game. Through all the information given, we have calculated an estimate of how much money sponsored locations make for the game's creators, with these sponsorships worth between $75 million and $250 million. No doubt events such as this recent Sprint competition will keep Pokemon GO in the public eye for a little while longer.

Source: Sprint