Verizon offers a chance to win an iPhone 8 before it hits shelves — if you’re in select cities

The iPhone 8 is set to hit shelves Friday, Sept. 22, and Verizon consumers in Los Angeles will have a chance to win one. Beginning today, participants can take part in a scavenger hunt on Snapchat, powered by real-time data.

For four days leading up to the launch of the new iPhone, the wireless carrier will hide “virtual 8s” per day in L.A. and seven other cities that can only be seen using an exclusive Snapchat lens. Known as “Find the 8,” participants in the competition will only find the eight available phones when they’re in the right place at the right time.

People who want to “Find the 8” can do so via promotional banners through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, or by visiting verizon.com/findthe8. Upon entering the microsite, players will receive a series of location-based clues. Each hint will guide people to a specific spot, eventually leading to the final location where participants can unlock a hidden Snapchat lens and reveal the virtual 8. Those who unlock the lens and take the most creative Snap will win an iPhone 8, courtesy of Verizon. 

At the microsite, hints are offered that are based on real-world conditions, making the game even more exciting. For instance, some of the 8s will reveal themselves only when it’s raining, during sunset, or every 8th pitch at a ballpark. Behind the scenes, the mobile site acts as a filter that only allows the Snapchat lens to appear when these “right-time” and “right-place” conditions have been met.

Eight people in Los Angeles will win the new iPhone on each of the four days of the scavenger hunt. Hundreds more will win gift cards for participating. Starting Sept. 19, Find the 8 will run in Seattle, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles.