How to win competitions

YOURLifeChoices subscribers love a competition but how can you give yourself an edge over other entrants? Drew shares some sneaky tips for success.

Sixty-one-year-old Amy, of Clayton in Victoria, has been entering competitions for a number of years and finds it a great source of entertainment. Amy has won holidays, including a trip to Europe, cash, thousands of dollars worth of gift vouchers and many useful household appliances, simply by taking the time to thoroughly prepare her competition entries.

“You are going up against anywhere between 100 to 10,000 other people. You need to make your entry stand out from the rest by researching the type of company with which you are dealing. Visit its website to get a feel for the level of fun or seriousness, look at previous winners’ entries and note any other contributing factors which will help you to tailor your entry appropriately”, says Amy.

Chance versus skill – what’s the difference?

A game of chance is just that, a competition which involves an enormous element of luck. All entrants have an equal opportunity and entries are drawn in an unbiased fashion.

Extra thought must be given in a game of skill, as the entry needs to stand out and you will be required to have a full understanding of what the judges are seeking.

How to win

Equal odds of winning, between each and every entry, apply to games of chance. To increase your probability of winning, you need to increase your odds. Statistically, you can double your odds of winning by entering twice, but remember, if a competition allows you to enter more than once, you can be sure that other entrants are doing the same.

A number of factors will decide a winning entry in a game of skill. If you are entering the most common type of game of skill, a 25-words-or-less, always count your words carefully, use apostrophes to help keep within the word limit, make sure you are not overly creative, never rhyme and don't lie. Another important thing to remember in a game of skill is to ensure your entry is in early, as it may increase your chance of being noticed by the judges. And don’t forget to check your spelling- it actually matters!

To increase your odds of winning, carefully choose which competitions to enter. Here are a few signs you should look for to increase your chances of winning:

• Effort  – the more effort needed to enter a competition means fewer entries are likely to be received.
• Purchase – any competition requiring the purchase of an item receives surprisingly few entries.
• Male products – men are statistically less likely to enter, so look for prizes aimed at the male market.

Where do I find competitions?

Keep an eye out for new competitions in magazines, on items you purchase in the supermarket and in stores you frequent. The best source of competitions is the internet, with many websites dedicated to activities, collating the latest and greatest into one location. You may have to pay a small fee to sign up to these websites, but one win could offset that cost in a big way.

With these tips at your fingertips, if anyone can win, you can. Good luck!

Here is a list of websites to get you started:
www.competitionsguide.com.au
www.win-free-stuff.com.au/
www.lottos.com.au
www.yourlifechoices.com.au
www.winbig.com.au/
ninemsn.com.au/competitions