A simple framework for deciding which competitions deserve your time and attention.
Fearless team4 October 20262 min read
Not every competition is equally useful to every entrant. A valuable prize can be irrelevant if you cannot use it, while a smaller local prize may be genuinely appealing. Deciding what is worth entering starts with your own preferences rather than the headline value alone.
Check eligibility first
Before spending time on an entry, confirm residence, minimum age and any customer, purchase or membership requirements. Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom are not interchangeable eligibility descriptions.
Look at the real prize
Consider restrictions attached to the prize. Travel may involve fixed dates, departure points or excluded costs. Vouchers can have expiry dates. Experiences may be non-transferable. The official terms should explain what is actually included.
Consider the entry route
A free online form is different from a purchase-linked, postal, premium-rate or creative entry. Decide whether the effort and any cost are reasonable for you. A large advertised prize does not make an unsuitable entry route worthwhile.
Check the closing date and entry limit
A competition ending soon may need priority. Repeat-entry promotions may deserve saving if you genuinely want to return, while one-entry promotions can be completed and cleared from your list.
Make the decision personal
There is no universal definition of a “good” competition. Fearless helps organise the facts so you can make a quicker decision, while the promoter's terms remain the authority on the promotion itself.