What are the UK rules for prize draws and competitions?
A UK prize promotion must state its significant conditions upfront — closing date, how to enter, any restrictions, how winners are chosen and the prizes — and must run fairly, or it breaches the CAP Code's promotions rules; the most common failure is simply omitting the closing date.
What significant conditions must you include?
Closing date; eligibility and geographic restrictions; how to enter and any cost; number and nature of prizes; how and when winners are selected and notified; and any cash alternative. These can be one click from a space-limited ad, but they must be available before entry.
What's the difference between a prize draw, a competition and a lottery?
A free prize draw (winners chosen at random) and a competition (winners chosen on skill/judgement) are both legal. A promotion that charges to enter and awards purely on chance can stray into being an illegal lottery — the usual fixes are a genuine free entry route or a real element of skill.
What about "tag a friend" and social mechanics?
Social entry mechanics are allowed but still need the significant conditions, must not require misleading sharing, and must follow the platform's own promotion rules.
FAQ
- Do I have to publish the winner?
- You must make winner details available (or say how), unless winners object — name and county is typical.
- Is a closing date really required?
- Yes — omitting it is one of the most commonly upheld promotion breaches.
- Can entry require a purchase?
- For skill competitions yes; for pure prize draws a free entry route is usually needed to avoid lottery rules.
Clearance flags missing closing dates and other significant conditions in promotion copy — check before you post.
Related rules
- Are social media posts covered by UK advertising rules?Organic posts, paid social and Stories — when your social content becomes a regulated ad and what that means.
- What are the UK email marketing rules?When you can email marketing legally in the UK, what the soft opt-in allows, and the rules the ICO actually enforces.
- What are the UK rules on advertising to children?What you can't do when marketing to under-18s: pressure tactics, HFSS limits, age-restricted products and data rules.
This article is general information about publicly available UK advertising rules, not legal advice. Rules change — always check the current codes at source or take professional advice before publishing. Clearance is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the ASA or CAP.