Free-entry questions for a promotion review

Describe every route from beginning to end

Start with a factual map of the participant journey. Where would someone first see the proposal, what would they need to do, what communication method would they use and what would it cost? Note any deadlines, addresses, instructions and dependencies. A reviewer needs the full route, not only the wording intended for a short advertisement or social media post.

For a draw offering paid and free routes, the Commission says participants must be able to choose to take part without paying. It also says the free route must be no more expensive and no less convenient than the paid route. Treat those as issues requiring evidence about the actual process. Do not assume that one postal instruction automatically answers every comparison.

• Describe steps and costs for both routes.
• Identify unresolved assumptions rather than declaring equivalence.

Ask what normal-rate communication means

The Commission explains free communication in terms of normal rates and specifically discusses first or second class post. Its guidance says there must be no additional payment over what it normally costs to use the communication method, and gives special delivery as an example that is not classed as free. Read the original wording instead of replacing it with an invented postage rule.

A fictional budgeting example may include a £1 administrative assumption, but the presence of that number says nothing about an entry route’s status. The arithmetic worksheet does not model postage, route convenience or legal classification. Keep calculations in a separate annex so a cost line cannot be mistaken for confirmation that a participation method satisfies the requirements.

Review prominence and equal treatment

The Commission says the free route must be promoted and displayed at the same level as paid routes, and that the choice must be promoted so people who want to participate can see it. A reviewer should examine actual layouts and communications, not just a private draft of terms. A hidden footer link should not be treated as evidence that the visibility requirement has been met.

Its guidance also says the system determining prizes should not recognise the paid and free routes as different. Ask how the proposed administration would implement that treatment and what evidence would support it. This site has no draw system and cannot test or certify one. A local budget total has no relationship to equal treatment of actual entrants.

Do not substitute a trivial question or a badge

Prize competitions are a separate concept based on skill, judgement or knowledge meeting the Commission’s threshold. Its guidance warns that multiple-choice questions, or questions allowing another chance after an incorrect answer, rarely meet the criteria. Adding such a question is not a dependable cure for a route problem. Obtain advice on the whole mechanism rather than combining disconnected features from other websites.

The Commission explicitly says it does not approve free draws or prize competitions. Claims such as “Commission approved” must not be inferred from an absence of a licence requirement in a qualifying case. Great Britain and Northern Ireland also need distinct jurisdictional attention. Before any actual promotion launches, have the mechanism, advertisements, administration and data handling reviewed. This guide is general information, not that review.