With a standard sweepstakes or giveaway, the winner is awarded by random draw. With sweepstakes contests, it works a little differently. By loose definition, a “sweepstakes” means the sponsor is giving away a prize. A “contest” means that your unique entry is being judged and a winner is selected. Typical contests often ask for a best recipe, photo, or essay.
Great! I have the best baked bean casserole recipe, vacation photo, or answer to that essay question, you think to yourself. By all means, go ahead and enter your selection, but take a look at the Rules to see how they're selecting the winner. Sometimes the winner will be selected by a judging panel selected by the sponsor. IMHO, these are the most “fair” contests as there is no way to weight an entry in anyone's favor.
Picking the winner is a trickier process when voting is involved. Again, look at the Rules. Does each person get one vote? Can you vote once per day? Are the votes unlimited? Do you rate or rank the entries when you vote? The answers to these questions make a big difference towards determining who wins. In any event, the more people you can persuade to vote for your entry, the better your chances of winning. This means that the winning entry is ultimately the one with the most votes, not the “best” entry.
Go ahead and show us your cutest pet photo or pumpkin recipe, but remember to read the Rules so you know how the sweepstakes winner is selected.
