Running international sweepstakes and contests

Do you plan to run international sweepstakes, prize promotions and prize contests across Europe or in countries outside the EU?

Giveaways and prize contests are a very sensitive area since every country has different laws and rules, both in terms of government regulations and licenses and of taxation and privacy laws.

Whether you are intending to run a prize promotion in your own country or in several countries at the same time, Promosfera can provide advice on terms and conditions for giveaways. We have all the expertise required to host international sweepstakes, compile terms and conditions for prize draws and help you manage your promotion smoothly and legally.

In an increasingly global market, our team can manage the entire process of creating and running prize promotions worldwide and ensure that you comply with the laws of the countries you are targeting. We work with both companies and advertising agencies.

For more information or to request a quotation, send an email to [email protected]

🔸 Read all about international laws on sweepstakes, contests and giveaways laws.

Variety of international sweepstakes and contests

Each country has its own legislation and it is always necessary to check that the type of promotion you want to organise is allowed in that country.

Contests can be of two different types: Chance-Based or Skill-Based.

SKILL-BASED PROMOTION

The winning of the Prize-Promotion is subject to skill such as

• the speed of the competitors in achieving what is required
• the capacity to guess a prediction
• the ability to correctly answer a quiz
• making written, photographic or video contributions.

Both types of contest can be offered free of charge, or subject to the purchase of the product involved in the promotion.

The choice depends on the objectives of the initiative:

🛒 Contests with purchase

They are those in which only those who purchase the product or service being promoted can participate.

In these contests it is necessary to prove the purchase, and the ways for doing so are many. Some examples:

• registration of the purchase in a form with insertion of the receipt data;
• sending the receipt by post in an envelope;
• uploading the photo of the receipt on special software (mini-site with OCR, WhatsApp, etc.).

In some countries, contests with purchase are also considered those in which the condition of participation may suggest the need for an indirect purchase such as asking to upload your own photograph next to the product.

Contests with purchase are the right choice when you want to pursue the goal of encouraging sales but you have to be careful, because it is prohibited in some countries of the world such as, for example, Canada and the United States.

✅ Contests free from purchase

It is possible to participate for anyone without making any purchase. It is sufficient to fulfil the participation requirements such as registering on the form, uploading a photo/video or in any other way it is described in the contest.

These contests typically respond to the goal of raising awareness, launching a new product, getting leads, etc.

There are major differences between countries under current laws on prize promotions in terms of operating procedures, administrative requirements, management costs and tax systems. With Promosfera you can successfully navigate risk-free through the administrative processes required by each individual country.