Read the fine print
Winning a competition can be a great feeling, but companies don’t give away prizes out of generosity.
They want as much data as possible, and not just from the lucky winners. In order to receive a prize you will obviously need to provide contact details, but you may be asked for other information.
The amount of data you provide must be minimal and may not be used for any purpose without your consent.
For example, a supermarket cannot pass on your details to a holiday company without your express permission.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, an organization may only request data that is necessary. For example, if you are asked for your date of birth, it should have some relevance to the competition.
The only exception to handing over information is at an in-person event, where you may only need to provide your information if you win.
Know the access rules for children
Marketers should not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 12 without first obtaining verifiable consent from their parent or guardian.
Makers of HFSS food products (those high in fat, salt or sugar) are not allowed to target anyone under the age of 16 in any way.
Children are not allowed to enter competitions to win alcohol, and age verification is required before awarding age-restricted prizes.
Companies are also prohibited from targeting children with promotions that require a purchase.
Generally, companies and organizations will ask a parent or guardian to provide permission for any child who wishes to participate in a contest.
Create a new email address
Most, if not all, competition providers will confirm your entry by email and, where applicable, send you the newsletters and marketing communications you have signed up for.
Create an email account specifically for your messages so that messages don’t clog your inbox. Please check your spam folder and social media notifications regularly as many prizes go unclaimed.
Enter lottery tickets
You have to be in it to win it. Think of this as a cheap and fun hobby where prizes are bonuses, and don’t lose heart if you don’t start winning right away.
Look for competitions with lots of prizes. You may have less chance of winning anything if there is only one big prize.
But try to avoid addictive contests that use lottery-like promotions and premium text input.
Make an attempt
Beware of those that involve some work as this should increase your chances of winning.
Fifteen years ago, money blogger Emma Bradley started entering competitions and won £10,000 in cash and products in that first year. She advises people requesting a video entry to enter as there are fewer participants.
Di Coke, who writes the SuperLucky blog, has won around £350,000 in prizes and helps others win big prizes. She proposes competitions where you share a selfie on Instagram, participate in a radio quiz, buy a specific product in a supermarket, play on apps or create a TikTok.
Use your skills
For example, if you are good at writing, choose a contest about something you know and have practiced writing about.
Cyber and security expert James Bore won $750 (£587) thanks to his knowledge of the Luddites and the film WarGames.
He advises seeking out the people involved in the review, tailoring and promoting your work. He says, “You don’t have to be a master of writing, but do spend some time writing related pieces to keep your skills sharp.”
Use listing websites
These sites allow you to quickly and easily find a large number of competitions to participate in. They provide links to prize draws and information about giveaways involving social media posts. TravelScoop links to numerous holiday contests, while Prize Finder lists contests where you can win just about anything.
Think about the price
Most prizes are non-transferable, so focus your efforts on the prizes that suit you best. Also consider prizes for gifts.
Kimba Cooper-Martin helps companies use games in their marketing. She says: “Look for companies that sell something you want and see if they have any competitions on their socials. If the prizes on offer are the kind of things you would like to win, sign up for their email list or to be notified of their posts on that social media channel.
Share the fun
Coke advises joining forces with friends. “They will help you win more because they will tag you in giveaways and even share prizes.”
You can join groups for advice, support and collaboration. Her free Facebook group, Lucky Learners, has more than 22,000 members.
Be aware of scams
“You won” emails are common. Never click on links in emails or text messages where you do not know the sender.
Scammers create fake profiles on social media and fake websites and often ask you to enter your credit card details to pay for the delivery of your prize. Don’t respond.
Obey the rules
Jeremy Stern, founder of PromoVeritas, which runs promotions for major brands around the world, calls people who try to win by breaking the rules “scampers.”
On one occasion, his company received 385 entries with different names from the same address, in an attempt to circumvent the “one entry per household” rule. Also keep copyright and permissions in mind, he says. PromoVeritas once had an argument over who should win the prize for a photo of a horse. The horse’s owner thought it should be them, not the person who took the photo and entered the competition.
Stern warns that while AI is increasingly used for submissions, his company uses software that can delete images and if it looks like cheating, it will be removed.