25 Years of Entering Competitions (and What I’ve Learned)
Real talk from a real comper — the wins, the near-misses, the scams to dodge, and the tips that actually make a difference.
It all started with Peru.
My husband — my boyfriend at the time — won a holiday to Peru. He hadn’t been sitting there obsessively filling in competition entry after competition entry. He’d dropped his name and address into a barrel somewhere, in a shop or a supermarket, couldn’t even remember doing it. And then one day the letter arrived. He’d won.
I was gobsmacked. Could it really be that easy? Apparently, yes. That moment planted a seed, and I’ve been entering competitions, on and off, ever since — that was 25 years ago. And I have to be honest: that first prize has never been beaten. A full holiday to Peru, won from a barrel in a supermarket. Extraordinary.
But I’ve had some amazing wins along the way. And I’ve learned a lot — about what works, what doesn’t, and how the world of competitions has changed beyond recognition. So if you’re thinking about giving it a go, here’s everything I wish I’d known from the start.
How It All Began — The Early Days of Comping
When I first started seriously entering competitions, the process was wonderfully physical. You’d pick up a leaflet in a supermarket, cut out a token from the back of a cereal box, or tear an entry form out of a magazine. You’d fill it in by hand, pop it in an envelope, and send it off. There was something quite satisfying about it, actually.
Newspapers and magazines were goldmines. Every other page seemed to have a competition — holidays, cars, cash prizes, kitchen appliances. And the key thing was: not that many people entered. The competition pool was limited by effort and geography. If you were the sort of person who actually bothered to post an entry, your odds were genuinely decent.
Then I discovered MoneySavingExpert.
The forum there — which is still going strong today — was, and is, a community of fellow competition enterers, or ‘compers’ as we call ourselves. People share links to live competitions, tips for entering, and sometimes even the answers to skill-based questions. It was a revelation. Suddenly I could find and enter dozens of competitions in the time it used to take me to track down one.
Those first few years were brilliant. I was winning something almost every week. Skincare products, toys, wines, food hampers, books, jewellery, clothes, make-up, hotel stays, show tickets — the haul was genuinely impressive. It felt like a proper side earner, except instead of cash, I was winning things that made my life nicer.
What Changed — and Why It Got Harder
As competitions moved almost entirely online, something shifted. Whether it was that more people started entering, or that my luck changed, or simply that the sheer volume of entries skyrocketed — I’m not entirely sure. Probably all three.
The internet made it easy for everyone to enter, not just the dedicated few. A single click to enter a competition on Instagram or Facebook takes seconds. Which means the prize pool is now shared between potentially hundreds of thousands of people rather than a few hundred. Your odds get worse. Simple maths.
I found myself having to enter more and more competitions just to maintain the same win rate. And if I’m honest, it started to become a bit of a chore. What had once felt exciting started to feel like unpaid admin.
I haven’t given it up entirely — I still enter things that catch my eye — but I’ve definitely dialled it back. And here’s the lovely silver lining: I have fellow compers who are still at it hammer and tongs, and they’re still winning. Free meals, afternoon teas, theatre tickets. And because they’re generous souls, I often get to tag along. So I still benefit from the comping world without doing all the legwork myself. Which is rather nice.
The Rise of Social Media Competitions
These days, a huge proportion of competitions run through social media — Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok. The format is usually simple: like the post, follow the account, tag a friend (or two, or three) and you’re entered.
They’re quick to enter and easy to find. But they’ve brought a new problem: scammers.
I’d say that roughly one in ten messages I get telling me I’ve won something on Facebook is a scam. The fake accounts are often convincing — they copy the branding of the real brand running the competition, they use similar usernames, and they create a real sense of urgency (‘You have 24 hours to claim your prize!’). Their goal is usually to get your personal details, your bank information, or to get you to click a dodgy link.
At the moment they’re mostly spottable if you know what to look for. But scammers are clever and they evolve. You need to stay vigilant and keep up with their tactics — because what’s obvious today may not be so obvious in six months.
How to Spot a Scam Competition Notification
Here are the main red flags to watch out for:
- The message comes from a slightly different account name to the one running the competition (e.g. @BrandNameOfficial vs @Brand_Name_Official_UK)
- They ask for payment to ‘release’ your prize or cover ‘shipping costs’. Legitimate competitions never do this.
- They pressure you to act immediately — ‘claim within 2 hours or you forfeit your prize’
- They ask for bank account details or your National Insurance number
- The account is new, has very few followers, or its previous posts don’t match the brand
- If in doubt, go back to the original competition post and check if there’s any mention of a winner there. Or contact the brand directly through their official website.
Where to Find Competitions Worth Entering
There are some brilliant resources out there that do a lot of the legwork for you — listing live competitions, sharing answers to skill-based questions, and flagging the best prizes. Here are my favourites:
| Website | What it offers |
| MoneySavingExpert Forum | The original and still one of the best. Fellow compers share links and answers daily. A great community. |
| Loquax | One of the UK’s longest-running competition listing sites. Updated regularly with hundreds of live comps. |
| ThePrizeFinder | Searchable database of UK competitions, filterable by prize type. Really useful for targeting what you want. |
| Competition Database | UK-focused listing site with user ratings and comments on competitions. Helpful for checking legitimacy. |
| Competitions Time | Daily updated UK competition listings, plus a forum community similar to MSE. |
Beyond these, it’s worth following brands you love on social media — many run regular giveaways that never make it onto the listing sites. Local radio stations are also a surprisingly good source of competitions, often with far fewer entrants than national ones.
My Top Tips — From 25 Years of Comping
These are the things I wish someone had told me when I started:
| 1 | Set up a dedicated email address for competitions You will receive a lot of emails. And I mean a LOT. Brands will add you to mailing lists, retailers will follow up, and your inbox will never be the same again. Keep it completely separate from your personal or work email so it doesn’t take over your life. |
| 2 | Never, ever pay to enter Legitimate competitions are free to enter. If you’re asked to pay a ‘handling fee’, ‘release fee’, or ‘postage cost’ to claim a prize, walk away. It’s either a scam or a paid lottery — and neither is worth your money. |
| 3 | Only enter for prizes you actually want It might seem obvious, but it’s easy to get into the habit of entering everything. Be selective. If you wouldn’t be excited to win it, don’t bother. It saves time and keeps the hobby enjoyable. |
| 4 | Stay vigilant about scam ‘you’ve won’ messages Especially on social media. Check the account carefully, never click suspicious links, and always verify by going back to the original competition post. If it feels off, it probably is. |
| 5 | Check with friends before tagging them constantly Many social media competitions require you to tag a friend. Some friends love it — they get entered into things too! But others find it annoying. Have a quick chat and make sure your comping habit doesn’t damage any friendships. |
| 6 | Keep a record of what you’ve entered and won You’d be amazed how often brands forget to send out prizes. I’ve had to chase more than once. A simple spreadsheet noting the competition, the prize, and the expected date is all you need — and it’s very satisfying to look back on! |
| 7 | Join a comping forum or community The MoneySavingExpert competitions forum changed my comping life. Fellow compers are generous, knowledgeable, and they do a lot of the hard work for you by sharing links and answers. You’ll pick up tips and tricks you’d never find on your own. |
| 8 | Look for lower-entry competitions Local radio competitions, smaller brand giveaways, and competitions that require a bit more effort (writing a slogan, answering a question, posting a photo) tend to attract fewer entries. Your odds are much better. A bit of effort can go a long way. |
| 9 | Enter regularly and consistently The friends I know who still win regularly are the ones who enter little and often, every single day. Consistency matters more than volume. Ten well-chosen entries a day beats a hundred rushed ones on a Saturday afternoon. |
| 10 | Enjoy it — and know when to dial back Comping should be fun. When it starts to feel like a chore, take a break. Come back to it when you feel like it. The competitions will still be there. |
So — Is It Worth It?
Honestly? Yes, if you go in with the right expectations.
You’re probably not going to win a holiday to Peru from a barrel in a supermarket — that was extraordinary, and 25 years later it’s still the best prize we’ve ever had. But you might win afternoon tea for two, a skincare bundle, a year’s supply of something delicious, or theatre tickets for a show you’d been meaning to see. And that’s genuinely lovely.
The world of competitions has changed a lot since I started. It’s more competitive, more digital, and requires a bit more vigilance against scams. But the core principle is exactly the same as it’s always been: if you don’t enter, you can’t win.
So find a competition that appeals, get involved in the comping community, and who knows? You might just get a very exciting letter through the door. Or, more likely these days, a DM — from the real brand, not a scammer.
Have you had a big competition win? Or are you just starting out? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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