{"id":3451,"date":"2026-11-09T18:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T18:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/blog\/?p=3451"},"modified":"2026-11-09T18:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T18:34:13","slug":"how-to-run-a-leaderboard-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/blog\/how-to-run-a-leaderboard-contest","title":{"rendered":"How to Run a Leaderboard Contest (Points, Prizes and Fair Play)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To run a leaderboard contest, decide what earns points, show everyone their rank while the contest runs, and say up front how winners are chosen: the top spots, a random draw weighted by points, or both. Then check the top entries before you award anything, because the people at the top are the ones most worth checking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A leaderboard turns a giveaway into a race. That’s great for engagement, as long as the race feels fair. Here’s how to set one up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What is a leaderboard contest?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s a contest where people earn points for actions (entering, sharing, following, buying) and a public ranking shows who’s ahead. The ranking itself is the motivation: people do one more action to move up a place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In SweepWidget, the points are the entrant’s total entries<\/strong>. Every entry action adds to it: a follow, a newsletter signup, a referral, a daily bonus. The leaderboard is available on the Business plan and above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Step 1: Decide how winners are chosen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do this first, because it changes everything else. You have three options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Top spots win.<\/strong> First place gets the grand prize, second gets the next one, and so on. It’s the most motivating for competitive people, and it’s the one most worth checking for cheating.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Weighted random draw.<\/strong> More points mean better odds, but anyone can win. The leaderboard shows who has the best chances. This keeps casual entrants interested.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Both.<\/strong> Prizes for the top three, plus a random draw for everyone else.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Three<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The leaderboard doesn’t pick winners on its own. In SweepWidget, you either pick the top entrants by hand from the entries list, or run a random draw, which is weighted by entries. Whichever you choose, write it in the leaderboard description, in a sentence or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/a>Step 2: Decide what earns points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Give more points for the actions that matter most to you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n