How To Manually Pick A Winner
Sometimes you need to select specific winners rather than using random selection. SweepWidget allows you to manually choose winners from your entry list, giving you full control over who wins your giveaway.
When to Manually Pick Winners
- Photo or video contests – Select the best submission based on quality
- Creative competitions – Choose winners based on creativity or merit
- Skill-based contests – Award winners who demonstrated the best skills
- Specific criteria – Select winners who meet particular requirements
- Judge-selected contests – When a panel reviews and selects winners
How to Manually Pick Winners
Step 1: Go to Manage Entries
- Go to your Dashboard
- Find the giveaway you want to pick winners for
- Click the Manage Entries button
Step 2: Select the Winner(s)
Before clicking Pick A Winner, you must first select which participants you want to make winners:
- Scroll through the entries list to find the participant(s) you want to select
- Click the checkbox next to each user you want to make a winner
- You can select multiple users if you have multiple winners
Tip: Use the search bar to find specific participants by name or email, or use the Sort by dropdown to organize entries.
Step 3: Click Pick A Winner
After selecting your winner(s), click the Pick A Winner button (blue) at the top of the page.
Step 4: Choose “Choose Yourself”
A dialog will appear asking: “How would you like to draw your winners?”
Click Choose Yourself to manually select the participants you’ve already checked.
Step 5: Draw Winners
After clicking “Choose Yourself,” you’ll see a confirmation message:
“Click ‘Draw Winners’ to draw the winners.”
Click the Draw Winners button to confirm your selection.
Step 6: View Your Winners
Your selected participants are now winners. You’ll be taken to the Winners page where you can see all selected winners.
Quick Summary: Manual Selection Flow
The complete flow for manually picking winners:
- Select the winner(s) using the checkboxes in the entry list
- Click Pick A Winner
- Click Choose Yourself
- Click Draw Winners
Finding Participants to Select
Use these tools to find the right participants:
| Tool | How to Use |
|---|---|
| Search bar | Search by name or email to find specific participants |
| Sort by | Sort entries by newest, oldest, most entries, etc. |
| Filter tabs | Filter by All Entries, Pending, Approved, or Rejected |
| View all entry types | Filter to see only specific entry methods (e.g., photo uploads) |
| Gallery view | Switch to Gallery view for photo contests to see submissions visually |
Winner Information Displayed
On the Winners page, you can see details for each manually selected winner:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| User info | Winner’s name and email address |
| Location | Country based on IP address |
| Entries | Total entries the winner earned |
| Prize | Assigned prize (if using multiple prizes) |
| Show winner? | Option to show or hide winner’s name publicly |
| Disqualify | Button to disqualify if needed |
Winner Limits by Plan
The number of winners you can pick depends on your SweepWidget plan:
| Plan | Maximum Winners |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 winner |
| Pro | 50 winners |
| Business | 250 winners |
| Premium | 1,000 winners |
| Enterprise | Unlimited winners |
Selecting Multiple Winners
To select multiple winners at once:
- Check the boxes next to all participants you want to make winners
- Click Pick A Winner → Choose Yourself → Draw Winners
- All selected participants become winners simultaneously
Note: You can also use the checkbox in the header row to select all visible entries at once.
Manual vs. Random Selection
| Method | Best For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Manual (Choose Yourself) | Contests judged on quality or merit | You select specific participants using checkboxes |
| Random | Sweepstakes with equal chance for all | System randomly selects from eligible entries |
Best Practices
- Review all submissions – For photo/video contests, view all entries before selecting winners
- Use Gallery view – Switch to Gallery view to easily compare visual submissions
- Document your criteria – Have clear judging criteria before reviewing entries
- Check eligibility – Verify winners meet all giveaway requirements
- Be fair and consistent – Apply the same standards to all entries
- Contact winners promptly – Reach out within 24-48 hours of selection
After Selecting Winners
Once you’ve manually selected winners:
- Contact winners – Notify them via email or social media
- Download CSV – Export winner data for your records
- Show/hide winners – Choose whether to display winner names publicly
- Assign prizes – If you have multiple prizes, assign them to specific winners