These rules apply to every competition we run and should be read with our Terms & Conditions. Each competition page also states the specifics for that draw: ticket price, total tickets, maximum entries per person, closing date, draw date, prize, cash alternative and whether instant wins are included.
1. Types of competition
- Prize competition (paid entry). Entry requires payment and the correct answer to a question of skill. A free entry route is always available.
- Promotional prize draw (free). No payment and no purchase necessary. Used for marketing campaigns. Entry is free for everyone.
- Instant win. A paid competition where specific ticket numbers carry immediate prizes, in addition to any main prize draw.
2. Skill question
Every paid competition includes a question of skill, judgement or knowledge. The question is shown before you pay and the correct answer is required for your entry to be valid. If your answer is wrong, no entry is created and no payment is taken. The same question applies to free entries.
3. Free entry route
You may enter any paid competition free of charge, with an identical chance of winning. Submit the free entry form on the site, or send a postcard containing your full name, date of birth, address, email address, the competition name and your answer to the skill question to SOBO Competitions Ltd, [registered office address], United Kingdom. One free entry per person per competition. Free entries must arrive before the closing time; proof of posting is not proof of receipt. Free entries are allocated a ticket number from the same pool as paid entries.
4. Ticket allocation and odds
Each competition has a fixed maximum number of tickets. Ticket numbers are allocated at random from the numbers still available at the moment you enter; you cannot choose a number and numbers are not issued in sequence. Your chance of winning the main prize is the number of tickets you hold divided by the total number of valid entries in that draw. Because competitions may not sell out, the final odds may be better than the maximum ticket count suggests. Tickets are held for 10 minutes while you complete payment and are returned to the pool if payment is not completed.
5. Entry limits
The maximum number of entries per person is shown on each competition page and is enforced across paid and free entries combined. Attempts to exceed the limit using additional accounts will void all related entries.
6. Closing the competition
A competition closes at the date and time shown, or earlier if all tickets are sold and the page states that the draw closes when sold out. Where a minimum number of entries is stated and not reached, we will do one of the following and state which on the competition page before you enter: extend the closing date; substitute a cash alternative of equivalent value; reduce the prize proportionately; or cancel the competition and refund every paid entry in full.
7. How the draw works and how you can verify it
- After closing, all valid entries are frozen and counted.
- We record a snapshot of the draw: the number of entries, the highest ticket number in play and a SHA-256 hash of the entry list.
- A random seed is generated using a cryptographically secure random number generator and recorded together with that snapshot in an append-only draw record that cannot be edited or deleted.
- The winning ticket number is derived from the seed and the entry count.
- The seed, entry count and verification hash are published on the winners page, so anyone can re-run the calculation and confirm the same winning number.
In the rare case where a draw must be performed manually — for example a winner is disqualified and a redraw is required — the draw record is flagged as a manual selection, the reason is recorded, and both are published alongside the result.
8. Instant wins
Instant win prizes are assigned to specific ticket numbers before the competition opens. The assignment is not visible on the site and cannot be searched. If you buy a ticket matching an unclaimed instant win prize, you are notified immediately by email and the prize is recorded against your account. The number of instant win prizes and how many remain is shown on the competition page.
9. Notifying and verifying winners
We contact winners by email and, where provided, by telephone, within 48 hours of the draw. We verify identity, age and address before releasing a prize. If verification fails or the entrant was not eligible, the entry is void and we redraw.
10. Claim period and unclaimed prizes
Winners have 90 days from the first notification to respond and complete verification. We make at least three attempts to contact a winner using the details on the account, spread over that period. If a prize remains unclaimed after 90 days, we redraw the prize among the remaining valid entries for that competition and publish the redraw as a separate draw record. Unclaimed prizes are never retained by us.
11. Publication of results
Every completed draw is published on the winners page with the prize, the draw date, the verification data, and — where the winner consents — their first name and town or city. Where consent is not given, the result is published anonymously.
12. Disqualification
We may void entries and withhold prizes where we identify multiple accounts, automated or scripted entry, payment fraud, chargebacks, false information, or any attempt to interfere with a draw.
13. Complaints about a draw
If you believe a draw was run incorrectly, contact hello@sobocompetitions.com within 30 days of the result, quoting the competition name and the draw record reference. See our Complaints Policy.