What Are the Official Rules for YouTube Giveaways?

YouTube's contest policies set out what your giveaway needs. This is a summary, not legal advice, so read the policy itself and check the law where you're running it.

Your official rules must:

• say that YouTube isn't a sponsor of your contest
• require entrants to release YouTube from liability
• link to YouTube's Community Guidelines and say entries that break them are disqualified
• include a legally compliant privacy notice explaining how you'll use entrants' data
• include any disclosures the law requires

Your giveaway must also:

• be free to enter
• not manipulate views, likes, dislikes or subscribers
• not ask entrants to hand over the rights to their entry
• not run through YouTube ad units or suggest YouTube endorses it

YouTube makes you solely responsible for the contest, and you have to run it exactly as your rules say.

Gleam generates Terms & Conditions for every Competition, and on the Hobby Plan and above you can write your own to add these lines. For which YouTube Actions you can still reward, see Can I Ask People to Subscribe to Enter My Giveaway? For the full checklist, read our guide to YouTube giveaway rules.