Start with every eligible entry
Collect entries from the entry point you specified and close the list at the published time. If people could enter on multiple platforms, follow your announced method for combining them. Missing one platform or ignoring valid entries can change the outcome.
Keep the original export separately from the checked list. Record exclusions and use the entry limit in your terms. Removing repeated names is not enough to identify duplicate people, and identical names can belong to different entrants. Stable entry IDs make the working list easier to manage.
Use the selection method you promised
A random prize draw needs a genuinely random selection process. CAP’s rules call for a computer process with verifiably random results, or an independent person to make or supervise the draw. Scrolling through comments and stopping on one is not a sound substitute.
For a judged competition, judging criteria and the required independent involvement are a different process. Do not use a random picker to select a winner you said would be chosen on merit.
Record the draw
Save the eligible list, date, method and result. An independent observer or recording can support your evidence. Our winner picker supplies a downloadable record, including the pool and random values; that file is not an independent certification or a guarantee against editing.
Verify and contact the selected entrant
Check the entry against the rules before announcing an unconditional win. Contact the entrant from the official sender stated in your terms. Use the winner-message output in the giveaway planner as a starting point.
Ask only for the information needed to confirm eligibility and deliver the prize. Avoid requesting identity documents without a clear reason and a suitable secure method. Publicity requests should be handled separately from ordinary delivery arrangements.
Handle non-response consistently
Use the published claim period and reminder process. If you need a replacement winner, retain the first result and the reason, remove the relevant entry according to your rules and document the replacement selection. Do not rerun a draw simply because you dislike the result.
Source: CAP guidance on social media prize draws. Checked 7 September 2026.