PROGRAMS - Contests
Contest administration is different from Sweepstakes in several ways:
First, you can require a purchase as part of the entry process, unlike sweepstakes in which “No Purchase Necessary” is a standard mandate. Some restrictions however do apply.
It’s not just a game of chance. The winner of a contest must provide a degree of individual skill or uniqueness in one of the following manners:
SKILLS / UNIQUENESS:
Intellectual – writing a song, completing a crossword puzzle, taking an exquisite photograph, composing a themed essay, whipping up a creative, new recipe, etc., all require a degree of intellectual talent and/or skill to win the contest.
Personal/Physical attribute – these contests may include having "the most beautiful smile", the "prettiest red hair", even the closest resemblance to a celebrity.
SPhysical ability – this could include kicking a 50 yard field goal, tossing bean bags into the open window of a moving automobile, making a half-court basketball toss, longest drive or a hole-in-one attempt on a golf course, etc.
All contest entries must be judged and/or evaluated. Unlike a sweepstakes, in which case winners are randomly selected from among all entries received, and the remaining entries are never opened and/or are disposed of.
Contests are often used to help reinforce the brand or product/service attributes and/or positioning in the marketplace. Contests are not implemented as often as sweepstakes. The ratio number in today’s marketplace is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 1. Many sponsors still prefer contests because they can require a purchase and a database of confirmed users of their product can be gathered from the entrants.