How to Pick a Giveaway Winner Fairly

The short answer

List every valid entry once, choose the winner with a genuinely random tool, and keep a record of how you did it. If people can see the process, they will trust the result.

Step by step

1. Write the rules first. Say how to enter, the closing date and time, how many winners there will be and how you will contact them. Decide this before the first entry arrives.
2. Close entries at the stated time. Late entries should not be counted, even if you like the person.
3. Remove invalid entries. Delete duplicates, ineligible entries and anything that broke the rules, and note why.
4. Give each person one place on the list. If your rules allow extra entries for extra actions, list a name once for each entry it has earned.
5. Draw at random. Paste the list into the random name picker and pick. Every name has the same chance, and the choice is made in your browser.
6. Record it. Screenshot or screen-record the list and the result. If anyone questions the draw, you can show exactly what happened.
7. Announce and follow up. Say who won, when the draw took place and how it was done. Contact the winner and set a deadline to reply, with a runner-up ready.

Picking more than one winner

Set the number to pick in the name picker. It chooses that many different names, so nobody can win twice in the same draw. Tick the option to remove picked names if you want to draw prizes one after another, from first prize down.

Using numbers instead of names

If entries are numbered, for example comments in order or ticket numbers, use the random number generator. Set the range from 1 to your last entry number and turn on no repeats if you need several winners.

Mistakes that make people distrust a giveaway

• Choosing the winner by hand, even when you try to be fair.
• Changing the rules or the closing time after entries start.
• Not saying how the winner was chosen.
• Letting friends, family or staff win without disclosing it.

A quick checklist

• Rules published before entries open
• One clear closing time
• Valid entries listed once each (or once per earned entry)
• Random draw, recorded
• Winner announced and contacted, with a runner-up in reserve

Ready? Pick a winner now.

Last updated 2026-10-18.

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