How Many Entries Does a Photo Contest Get?
Fewer than most hosts expect, unless the upload is the point of the giveaway. Half of Gleam upload Actions collected fewer than 10 photos or videos, though the busiest ones collected hundreds.
How you build the giveaway matters far more than the prize. When the upload is the only Action, every entrant uploads. With two other Actions beside it, almost a quarter do. With eight or more other Actions beside it, under 1% do. A mandatory upload, which entrants must complete before anything else counts, was completed by 76% of entrants at the median.
Decide first whether the content is the point.
- If it is, add an Upload Action on the How to Enter tab and make it mandatory, or keep the giveaway to three Actions or fewer. Expect fewer entrants in exchange for more content.
- If the content is a bonus, expect a handful of submissions. Pick the best of those as a bonus prize instead of promising a gallery you may not fill.
Upload Actions are on the Business Plan and above. On the Pro Plan, you can collect entrants' social media posts with the Submit Media Action.
Source: Gleam Giveaway Benchmarks 2026, Edition 3 (about 8,300 upload, media and submit-link Actions on Gleam competitions with 100 or more entrants, May 2020 to August 2026). Read the full report.
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How Do I Collect and Showcase Halloween Contest Entries?
Collect photos with the Upload Action in a Competition, then import them into a Gallery with voting on to show them off.