FREE 32+ Contest Entry Forms in PDF | MS Word | Excel

People love competitions. And, people love winning, even more. Admit it. Nothing exhilarates us even more than being on the top of the world, shouting at the top of our lungs, saying the same words that Julius Ceasar did—I came, I saw, I conquered. The idea of winning is fanned and fueled by our innate human character of competitiveness. It is a character universally profound in the natural world, as well. Competitiveness among humans, according to psychology, stems from the human need to positively reinforce their self-esteem through self-gratification. This also explains the propensity for joining contests like talent shows, no matter how nerve-wracking, motivated by the notion of winning for whatever means, and for whatever reasons.

What is a Contest Entry

Contests are venues for observing the love-hate relationship between winners and losers. It is also where one can observe the extremes of human emotions, overwhelming joy at one side, and devastating grief at the other. The possibility of observing and distinguish one from the other starts in the submission of contest entries. Contest entries come in different forms. They can either be done by way of filling out a registration form or a raffle ticket. These entries enable the audience to know who to gamble for and for organizers to have a list of qualified competitors, as well.

Contests Entries and its many Faces

Contests come in a variety of shapes and sizes. From game shows to sporting events, contests not only bring entertainment and excitement to its audience but also to give the less-fortunate a fighting chance to better their lives. And, speaking of giving a fighting chance, contest entries provide such possibility into becoming a reality. What’s more, the probability of winning is even higher by submitting those entries, which can be done in many ways.

• Online Entry

  The use of the internet as a venue for marketing is increasing by the day, and promotions such as contests are not a strange sight for the regular netizen. Many of us may have noticed a lot of sites posting raffles and contest posters to entice their audiences to join and participate. And, submitting entries to enter can be done conveniently in real-time.

• Raffle Entry

  Raffle entries are purely a game of chance or a gamble. And, one of the most familiar examples of such a game are lotteries. Lotteries are played by choosing a combination of numbers, which the participant indicates on a ticket. These tickets should be submitted during their purchase before the draw date starts. But, in the case of raffles in general, these can either be played with the use of number combinations or by writing the participant’s name on the ticket’s face itself. And, entries to these contests can be submitted online or manually.

• Manual Entries

  Manual entries are the most common type of contest entries that we know of and the oldest method of joining a contest, as well. These types of entries are usually done with participants pre-registering before the competition or contest itself begins. Manual entries are commonly used for every kind of contest there is before the internet became of extensive use.

Deal or No Deal

Typical game shows that proliferate the airwaves are often a test of the mind or might. Since its start in the late 1930s, game shows have been a source of family entertainment or, for the hopefuls, a source of easy money. Game shows have been a venue for people who wants to change their lives quickly, drastically. Game shows typically are in a quiz-bowl format, where contestants pit their intellectual acumen against other contestants. Or, in an obstacle course type of competition like Takeshi’s Castle or Hole in the Wall.

But there is one particular game show that neither involves no brains nor brawn. A game that allows anyone to win tons of easy money out of sheer and dumb luck. This show is no other than one of Endemol‘s brainchild, Deal or No Deal.

The game begins with 26 numbered briefcases carried by female models, with each containing different cash amounts ranging from 0.01 to a million dollars. To play this game, the contestant must choose any of the numbered briefcases until there is nothing left to choose from. Like every game of chance, the thrill lies in the suspense of what amount the last briefcase contains.

FREE 32+ Contest Entry Forms in PDF | MS Word | Excel

Contest entries are often viewed by the general public as a doorway to a better future. It could also be part a business’s marketing arsenal, as well. Listed in this article are a variety of contest entry forms, which you can download and use for free.

1. Photography Contest Entry Form

2. Art Contest Entry Form

3. Contest Entry Application Form

4. Photography Contest Entry Form

5. Video Contest Entry Form

6. Poster Contest Entry Form

7. Contest Entry Rules Form

8. Contest Entry Checklist Form

9. Bookmark Contest Entry Form

10. Final Contest Entry Form

11. Contest Participant Entry Form

12. Talent Contest Entry Form

13. Backyard Contest Entry Form

14. Photo Contest Entry Form

15. Writer Contest Entry Form

16. Baby Contest Entry Form

17. Calendar Contest Entry Form

18. Youth Talent Contest Entry Form

19. Education Contest Entry Form

20. Contest Entry Form in PDF

21. Standard Contest Entry Form

22. School Contest Entry Form

23. Simple Contest Entry Form

24. Video Contest Entry Form

25. Pie Contest Entry Form

26. Costume Contest Entry Form

27. Poem Contest Entry Form

28. Micrograph Contest Entry Form

29. Eating Contest Entry Form

30. Community Contest Entry Form

31. Festival Contest Entry Form

32. General Contest Registration Form

33. Tournament Contest Entry Form

How to Organize a Contest

Contests, aside from being a test of a person’s mental acumen or physical skill, is also an effective marketing tool to draw more people to your brand as well as an additional source of profit. Also, organizing such an event could also be done for fundraising for nonprofit and charitable endeavors. Whether you’re a household brand or a philanthropist, running contests of any type will enable you to effectively raise funds for your advocacies or bring your brand closer to its patrons.

Step 1. Establish Goals and Objectives

Brainstorming is the secret behind every successful event. And, the same applies to when planning to hold contests, as well. This phase is where goals and objectives for running such an event are formulated and established. It means that goals such as the number of target sales, prizes, participation, and attendance are set. Also, it is during this phase that the initial draft of the contest is drawn like what type of contest to run, its mechanics, qualifications, and the number of contestants.

Step 2. Tailor Fit the Contest to Your Market

Running a contest won’t be a success if it didn’t hit its target by the heart in the first place. That means that making your contest more familiar with your target market. For example, you can achieve this quickly by identifying the event with your brand’s market. Once you’ve identified your event’s target market, you can now customize the contest’s details and game mechanics according to their age, gender, or profession.

Step 3. Blueprint the Contest Event

After you’ve established your goals and identified your target market, the next step is to finalize the details of the contest itself. It is during this phase that additional information, such as the event’s program, are added alongside the features that were formulated during the initial planning phase game mechanics and prizes. It is also during this phase that marketing plans are finalized, as well. This phase aims to give the event its final form and shape.

Step 4. Market the Contest Event

Once you’re done finalizing the details of the contest, the next thing to do is to market the contest event to the general public. There are many ways to bring the announcement straight to your target market. You can either opt to advertise it through social media, television, radio, posters, and flyers. It is during this phase that you can safely count your eggs before they’re hatched.

Step 5. Hold a Post-Event Review

Perhaps, the essential phase in organizing happens after the culmination of the contest itself. This is where the rest of the organizing team discusses and reviews the results of the event, things that could have been avoided, and improvements for the next contest that the team will organize in the future.

Terminologies

Contestant – A person who participates or joins a competition or a contest. The one who submits a contest entry to take part in a contest or competition.

Tickets – A piece of paper that gives access to a particular venue, facility, or take part in an event. One of the many forms of contest entry which allows the holder to participate as a contestant

Game Show – A type of contest aired on the radio or television. Gameshows could either be in a quizshow format, reality competition, or a race that a contestant actively takes part in.

Submission – The act of handing a sort of application form to actively or passively participate in an event. The act of submitting a contest entry.

Fundraising – A type of activity that aims to raise a certain amount of money for a specific cause or purpose. It is usually done by charitable institutions, nonprofit groups, and business organizations.

FAQs

1. Is there any difference between contests and competitions?

Actually, there is quite a difference between those two words, albeit being used interchangeably or often confused with one another. To put it in a simpler and more digestible way, the word contest is like playing a game against other contestants to win small prizes. Competitions, however, are types of events that are way bigger and grander in scale than contest events. They could be as athletic as sporting competitions or, be as intellectual as interschool quiz bowls. Either way, competitions often involve winning large sums of money or by being awarded prestige and honor.

2. Is Gambling a form of contest or competition?

Technically, yes, despite its immoral image and bearing. Gambling is a form of contest or competition due to the number of people competing for a certain amount while predicting the outcome or result of such an event, relying mostly on chance. Also, contests and competitions themselves also employ wagers in the form of entry fees or ticket sales.

3. How do we determine a contestant’s qualification?

Well, that depends on the goals and objectives that you set while planning an event. But, to give you an idea, a contestant’s qualification is mostly determined by its capability to participate in the contest or competition itself. This, in turn, is also furtherly determined by the type of contest or competition. To give an example, quiz bowls often require contestants to have a certain GPA rate, while, sports competitions require competitors to submit certificates and a certain level of physical fitness to participate.