ENTER CONTESTS ONLINE

I can remember my mom sitting at the table clipping UPC codes to enter various contests then licking a stamp and waiting for a response. She did win a few things - a toaster, a few hair care products a stereo and a few more. In these days before the world wide web, entering contests was laborious and it took a lot of time and energy to enter. Not so anymore. Nowadays, contest entering is quick and easy, thanks to online opportunities.

Back in the snail mail days, access to unlimited categories of contests didn’t really exist. Now, there are countless opportunities to try your luck, and the number of categories seems staggering. There’s something for everyone and every interest. For that reason, we here at YSF are going to make it easy for you to find and enter contests.

The contests had only two criteria to meet before being listed in this hub. They had to be open, and they had to be free. Give any of these that interest you a try. You’ve got nothing to lose. Just be sure to read the rules before entering.

Before we begin, consider the following tips for entering online contests.

Enter The Hard Ones

Some events require an input from you to enter. You may have to complete a survey, answer questions, send a photo, or perform some other activity. Once again, fewer people will enter these types of events giving you much better odds. A few of the “hard ones” will also allow you to mail in your ballots without performing any of their online tasks.

Follow The Rules

While most contest sites make an effort to provide the most critical information, there are sometimes details in the fine print. For example, they might allow additional sweepstakes entries if you refer some friends. Or they may automatically disqualify entrants using automated entry tools. Be careful not to exceed an event’s entry limit. If an event is restricted to one entry per day, and you enter it twice in the same day, you could be disqualified from the entire event. In fact, entering more often than an event allows is the main reason people get disqualified from winning. Know the details before you enter. To make sure you are not disqualified, wait at least 24 hours between daily ballots. Some event sponsors and their judging agencies are very strict. They will disqualify you for any failure to follow their rules.

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Don’t be afraid to pick up a pencil every once in a while!
Online entry is popular because it’s so easy. There are no stamps or envelopes to worry about. But some events that allow only one online entry will allow multiple mail-in ballots. This can give you a big advantage over everyone else who enters online only once. Check their official rules to see which events allow multiple mail-ins.

Be Aware Of What Happens To The Information You Submit

Many event sponsors keep your entry information confidential, but many do not. In fact, some events are created solely to generate mailing lists. If you are not interested in receiving mailings, keep your eyes open for any opt-out information each event may provide. Usually you will have the option to exclude yourself from mailing lists when you enter an event, but with others you can only remove yourself later. If you are concerned about receiving unsolicited e-mail, you may want to consider setting up a second “throw away” e-mail account. This way you can help isolate your primary e-mail account from unwanted mailings. If your internet provider only gives you one e-mail account, they probably offer additional accounts for a small fee. There are plenty of places online where you can set up an e-mailbox at no charge.

Here are a few free e-mail providers:

Yahoo Mail
Hotmail.com
Gmail.com

Getting a free e-mail account through any of these services is quick and easy. Many of them also allow you to filter out unwanted messages.