A common question, particularly for those who haven’t previously entered many competitions, is what is the best type of competition?
This is quite subjective and means different things to different people. For some, it will be competitions which offer the biggest prizes. For others, it will be those that offer products or services in which they are interested.
Other considerations such as ease of entry and the potential number of entrants can also play a part.
What to Consider When Choosing Type of Competition
There are so many competitions available at any one time that it is unrealistic to enter all of them. Therefore, you should consider what really matters to you and enter those that best meet your individual criteria.
Cash, Goods or Services
You may want to win a new kitchen, or your dream luxury holiday. Or perhaps you are saving up for home improvements and would welcome a cash windfall to help. Whilst cash is undoubtedly easiest as you can then choose what to spend the money on, these type of competition are usually attractive to large numbers of entrants. You may want to consider targeting competitions that are more specific to your aspirations.
Some people will enter competitions based upon the value of the goods offered as a prize. Bear in mind that some prizes are not saleable or transferable, meaning that if you won, you would need to take advantage of the prize yourself and would not be able to gift it or sell it on. This can be quite common with competitions offering a holiday as a prize.
Large or Small Type of Competition
The is often a correlation between competition size and the value of the prize. However, this also means that larger competitions will be more attractive to a great number of potential applicants and they will quite often be advertised more widely. Companies hold competitions to promote their goods or services and if they are offering sizeable prizes, it is in their interests to maximise their investment by ensuring that as large an audience as possible is reached.
Generally speaking, competitions with more entrants will offer a smaller chance of winning. To increase your chances, it may be worth seeking out competitions which are more specialised or local. If you have a hobby, you could look for competitions offering prizes relating to that hobby. There are likely to be a smaller number of entrants than for more generalised competitions. Also, competitions offering prizes local to your area will, by definition, draw lower levels of interest than national competitions.
Putting in Extra Effort to Win Prizes
Some competitions just require you to provide contact information or, perhaps, provide the answer to a simple question or two, the answers to which are usually easy to find within the competition information or on the organiser’s website. However, some competitions will ask for a little more effort. This could be uploading a photo or writing a catchphrase. If you enjoy photography or are good with words, it may be worth looking out for competitions which have these requirements. Quite often these type of competitions have fewer entrants so your chances of winning may be increased.
Win Your Dream or Improve Your Lifestyle
Whether your preference is for cash or goods, winning a prize is exciting. It can offer you the opportunity to travel the world or do things which you would not usually be able to afford. With so many competitions available, it makes sense to enter those which offer the opportunity to win prizes that would make the most difference to you and your family if you won.
