What’s the Difference Between a Sweepstakes and a Skill Contest?

A sweepstakes picks winners by chance, usually a random draw. A skill contest picks them by judging entries against criteria you publish, like creativity or accuracy. The prize can be identical. What changes is the law.

In the US, a promotion with a prize, chance and a required payment is generally treated as an illegal lottery. So a sweepstakes has to be free to enter, or offer a free way in with the same chance of winning. A genuine skill contest takes chance out, which is why some places allow paid entry for it, though rules vary by state and country.

In Gleam, Competitions run both:

• Sweepstakes: we pick winners at random from valid entries

• Skill contest: collect entries with an Upload or Question Action, judge them yourself, then pick winners with Manual Winners (Pro Plan and above). Before you open entries, publish your judging criteria and change Winners will be selected by in your Terms & Conditions to say who judges.