Saturday 30 November 2013

Win a bumper selection of chocolates

Lighting Superstore is giving away a huge bundle of Cadbury's chocolates in their latest competition. Runners up will get £10 and £5, respectively, off their next orders.

They've come up with a novel task - you need to guess how many light bulbs they have in their showroom. They've provided lots of clues to help you with your guess.

Enter on their blog, putting your answer into the space in the Rafflecopter, after which you can get extra entries for liking, following and tweeting.

The competition closes on January 5th.

Thursday 28 November 2013

Win a Beautifuyl Batik Lined Satchel

The latest competition from Ask Her Friends is to win this gorgeous satchel


Isn't it great?

For a chance to win it, pop over to their competition page and complete some or all of the tasks in the Rafflecopter gadget.

The closing date is December 10th.

And if you don't win, you can save 10% on any Flights of Nancy item from Ask Her Friends by using the code FON10 at the checkout.

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Another delicious competition from Kavey Eats

I'm particularly fond of the competitions on Kavey Eats, partly because they are always food related and partly because I recently won a lovely hamper of pickles from one, so I'm delighted to bring you news of her latest one, with a prize of three drums of Betty's Chocolate Mendiants.


photo reproduced with permission from Kavita Favelle

Don't they look delicious? To enter, just head over to the competition page and tell her what toppings you would like to see on a mendiant. You can get extra entries for tweeting and for liking the Facebook page. And Rafflecopter haters (why???) please note, there is no Rafflecopter involved!

The competition closes on December 6th. 

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Give yourself an Advent-age!

It's almost December 1st. For most people, that means a shopping frenzy, checking that you have enough Paxo and tinsel, testing  the fairy lights and writer's cramp from addressing Christmas card envelopes.

For us compers though, it's a different kind of frenzy - the frenzy of Advent calendar competitions. The lure of all those daily prizes has us comping in every free minute, and frantically checking the web to make sure we've not missed any.

This year is going to be more of a frenzy than ever, as there will be so many different ways to enter. Web sites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Pinterest, Google +, maybe even You Tube, they're going to be all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised to find some that are exclusive to apps on your smart phone or tablet too - if not this year, then next.

Lists of advent competitions crop up on all the well known comping sites and forums, but if you try to follow ALL the lists you'll get exhausted and confused, as many competitions will appear on all of them. I suggest either sticking to just one list, or better still creating a list of your own and using that.

I have a folder in my bookmarks called "Advents 2013" and I will save each one that I plan to enter into that folder, so all the links are ready and waiting in it for me to visit every day. And after the New Year, instead of deleting the folder I can archive it and look at it next year, as many companies are bound to be running them again next year.

I'm not going to do a comprehensive list here, but I have already spotted quite a few places that are going to be having Advent competitions. Here are the links - because I'm writing this in November, they may not go to the actual calendar page as not all of them will go live until the start of December, and I can't guarantee they'll all actually appear!

(Note - usually when I list competitions on here, I have been asked to do so by the promoter so I can get back to them with queries. However these are just what I've found by googling or reading press releases, so if you have a query you'll need to contact the site itself)

Christmas Competitions  a prize a day for 12 days, starting Dec 12

Babymel

BigJigs Toys

Danfoss (I know this one is popular with compers but actually it is intended for plumbing and heating installers)

The Spirit Cellar I don't know much about this but it looks as if the prizes will be gin

Gourmet Burger Kitchen I can't remember what rumour made me add this to my list, we'll just have to wait and see what happens......

Haggis Hunt not really an Advent, as it runs from St Andrew's day to Burns Night. I'm sure that, like me, every year you say "I'm not doing that Haggis Hunt ever again!" and by the first weekend in December you are peering out anxiously over Loch Lomond and telling your nearest and dearest about the weather in Inverness.

Discovery Foods

Little Stuff

Kiddy Charts

Storksak 12 Days of Christmas starts Dec 01 

Superbreak 12 Days of Christmas starts Dec 02

Pour Madame

Weber Grills

Your Dog

Lenze

Manchester Arndale Centre

Bar Chick

Athletics Weekly

Ents 24  ALREADY STARTED!  opened Nov 25

Today's Golfer

RGB building supplies  aimed at professional builders. Runs from Dec 09-20

Q Hotels

Abbot Fox

Game  draw which you  are entered into automatically if you buy a product from their Advent Calendar page

Butlins

Puma Hotels

South Bank London

Rocks Off  definitely ADULTS ONLY!!!!!

UK Campsite

Visit Blackpool  (I get a site security error warning when I visit this site)

London Designer Outlet

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham  starts Dec 02

Ragdale Hall

Sheridan & Co

Total Merchandise

Under the Christmas Tree runs Dec 06-17 

WKD drinks - I think this will either be on this rather unlikely looking Twitter profile or on their Facebook page

Aerial Direct

Do please feel free to add these to your own lists or those on sites or forums you belong to!


















 



Win a week's supply of disposable nappies

It's the first time that Emma, over at Life as it Is, has ever run a competition so I hope you'll give her your support, especially all you parents and grandparents, because the prize is a week's supply of Naty eco disposable nappies.

To enter, pop over to her blog and tell her, in a comment, why you would like to win.

But hurry, the competition  closes on December 2nd.

Monday 25 November 2013

Win Chicco Happiness bilingual toys in time for Christmas

Here's a lovely competition if you have young children to buy for this Christmas.  Cate on her 'Me add three' blog is giving away Chicco Happiness bilingual (French and English) toys.  There are two prizes: first prize is a Count with Me Bear and a Talking Dragon.  Second prize is an interactive carpenter's workbench. 

As blog competitions are typically low entry and with two prizes up for grabs you have a great chance of winning.

Entry is via a Rafflecopter widget on the blog and the competition closes on 10th December.  Prizes will be delivered in time for Christmas.

http://meaddthree.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/win-chicco-happiness-bilingual-toys.html

Win lovely prizes just in time for Christmas!

Ring Automotive are running a competition on their Facebook page  where you can win an iPad, Xbox, iPod or Xenon bulbs - it closes on December 22nd,  just in time for Christmas.

It's a driving game with the prizes going to the highest scorers, but if, like me, you are bad at games you'll be pleased to know that there are  prizes to be won randomly too, just for playing.

And if you ARE good at games but are worried that you might get a genuine high score yet  be beaten by a cheat who has hacked in and faked their score, you'll be very pleased to know that they have already thought about this and they have several mechanisms in place to identify and disqualify cheats - for instance they will be able to actually see the laps driven by those who have the fastest times to make sure their car finishes the race in the correct time; if it disappears or the time doesn't add up it means they can disqualify them

How to spread the word about your competition

I know that most of you who are reading this love to ENTER competitions, but some of you, especially those with a blog, love to RUN them too.

And isn't it disheartening when you are running a competition and hardly anybody enters? You can draw attention to it by tweeting about it and posting on Facebook, and a tip here is to use hashtags like #win , #prize, #competition and #giveaway so that people who are not your followers (yet!) but are actively searching for competitions to enter will spot it. If you are using an app like Rafflecopter or Gleam that includes options for Facebook sharing and tweeting, these will also help to attract people who may not have heard about the competition.

But the best way to reach people is to use the sites and forums used by compers, often on a daily basis. This very blog is one of them - you can get your competition listed here by following the link at the top of the page.

The Money Saving Expert forum is a very popular place to find competitions, but anyone running one of their own isn't allowed to list it, it has to be listed by somebody else. Simply asking on Facebook or Twitter if any MSE-er will list it is almost certain to find you an obliging member. There are lots of other  comping forums too, some public and some private, so a similar request for "any comping forum" may well help.

I'm always happy to list competitions, with a few exceptions - for details see the "How to get your competition listed" page.

But there are lots more places you can either post the details of your competition or submit them to be posted by the site. Here are some to try

Loquax - you now need to register with the forum in order to post, but they are happy for you to post your own competitions

The Prize Finder

Competitors Companion (no relation to the magazine that used to go by the same name!) - the "Add your competition" link is at the bottom of the page

UK Competitions

UK Wins

Competition  Hunter

Also there are now several blogs that have competition links, where you can submit to a  page that is updated weekly or monthly. Some you could consider are

Super Lucky  - you will find the current link up pages listed towards the top of the right hand column

Emma in Bromley  - Emma has taken over Prizes for Parents from my daughter Emma who used to host it at Mellow Mummy. You'll find the current link-up page by going to the competitions tab and looking for the Prizes for Parents link.

Julie's Notebook - details of how to join in are in the #WinningWeekends tab, and you'll need to look through recent posts to find the current link up page.

I'm sure there are many more sites and blogs out there that list competitions, but I hope that these will help you to spread the word about your competition or, if you are simply looking for more competitions to enter, help you to find something new.

Sunday 24 November 2013

Some competitons to cheer up a gloomy Sunday

What a horrible grey, gloomy day it is today. And if you're an English cricket or Rugby fan you'll probably be feeling even greyer and gloomier.

So how about trying to win something - wouldn't that cheer you up?

Here are three competitions you can enter - all use a simple Rafflecopter widget - and maybe the thought that you might have a surprise to look forward to will make your day feel brighter.

The Diary of a Jewellery Lover is giving away a hip flask. Enter here Closing December 15th

They are also giving away a beach radio - it's sand and water resistant and to me it looks as if it has a rather cute face! Enter here Closing December 13th

And Mummy Barrow has three prizes of a set of 500 business cards to be won. Enter here Closing November 29th.

And if all that hasn't brightened your day, here's a cute cat photo for you!

Friday 22 November 2013

Win one of 10 hampers of cereals

Conservation Grade have 10  hampers of Jordans breakfast cereals to give away. To enter, head over to their competition page and use the Rafflecopter form to answer the question. The competition closes on December 4th.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

The Shutterly Fabulous Winter Window Dressing competition

Here is a great competition to enter if you have a blog - Shutterly Fabulous and Pedlars have got together to offer a first prize of a 20 piece tableware set, a second prize of a wall clock and a third prize of a notebook.

To enter you need to create a Christmas window display in your home or office and then blog about it. You then send in a link to your post by Twitter or Facebook.

Read more about the competition, which closes on December 8th, on the Shutterly Fabulous competition page.

Win a LION!!!

Well, a lion adoption!

Great Experiences are giving away a super prize - a £100 donation to the WWF  (that's the World Wildlife Fund and nothing to do with wrestlers) in the winner's name, enabling them to adopt a lion and receive a lion adoption pack. The winner will also receive a pair of tickets to see "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre in London and an original newspaper of their choice.

To enter, head over to the competition page and give your own caption for this great photo. The competition closes on January 10th.

Win £50 to spend with Ask Her Friends

Here's a new competition for  you from Ask Her Friends. Every month they ask a panel of bloggers to choose products from their site - this month they have put together a Christmas gift set - and then you can vote for your favourite and be entered into the draw.

Have a look at the gorgeous gift sets here and then  comment with your favourite and use the Rafflecopter form to record your entry and get extra entries for liking, tweeting etc.

The competition closes on December 1st.

That's not all! To thank you for visiting and voting on the Bloggers' Panel, Ask Her Friends are giving you a 5% discount on your shopping - simply use the code PANEL5 at checkout.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Win a Google Nexus 4

Tech Guru is giving away a Google Nexus 4. To enter, visit their competition page and complete some or all of the tasks in the Rafflecopter form. The closing date is November 30th.

Usually when I list a competition on here, I have been asked to do so by the promoter, but this time it's something a little different - one of the Rafflecopter tasks is to blog about the competition. So this is my entry!

Sunday 17 November 2013

Win a Lindt Chocolate Advent Calendar

Blue Kitchen Bakes has a lovely new competition for you - they are giving away a beautiful Lindt chocolate Advent calendar. This looks like on to keep for yourself - it's far too good to give to the kids!

To enter, pop over to the competition page where you can get up to 11 entries by performing various tasks like commenting, tweeting and following. And don't forget to record those tasks using the Rafflecopter form!

The closing date is November 25th.

Friday 15 November 2013

Win six Gruffalo soft toys

Aren't they gorgeous? Scottish Friendly is giving away a set of all six  of them. To enter, you need to visit their Facebook page and Like it, then post your  best family money saving tips to their wall, using the hashtag #ThriftyFamily

You can enter once a day until the closing date of December 2nd, and if you are one of those naughty people who enters competitions from several accounts - don't do it, they'll be watching out for you!

You can read more about the competition, including a link to the full terms and conditions, here.

Win a £50 Nude voucher

It's not what you're thinking! Nude is a range of gorgeous  contemporary jewellery and they are giving away s £50 voucher.

You'll find the full entry details on their blog post  which has a link to their Facebook page. To enter, you will need to like their page and link and share the competition post and then comment on it in just one sentence telling them about your weird and wonderful marriage proposal.

The competition closes on December 1st.

They are also  offering 15% off purchases on the Nude Jewellery website until 1st December. The promotional code is  facebook 25

Win a Druh Golf Belt signed by Lee Westwood

Golfbase  are offering you the chance to win this very smart hand made belt, signed by Lee Westwood.
To enter, simply submit your details at http://www.golfbase.co.uk/t-druh-belt-competition.aspx by the closing date of December 10th.

Golfbase have given us an exclusive discount code.  The discount code is COMP10 and allows 10% off any purchase** until the 1st of December.
(**Excluding Galvin Green products)

Thursday 14 November 2013

Win a wooden train Advent calendar

Submit a photo of your child and their favourite toy for your chance to win a wooden train advent calendar:
 
The competition ends on 27th November 2013

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Win a limited edition print worth £350

Home decor blogger Love Chic Living are running a competition to win a limited edition Patrick Caulfield Wine Bar print from Habitat worth £350.
 
 
This is going to be a really interesting competition to enter - here's what you need to do:
Take a blank empty frame, it can be any type, new or old, and then ‘frame’ something. Be as imaginative and creative as you would like to be. You can craft something and insert it into the frame, you could hold an empty frame up and ‘frame’ a view, you could put your most precious photograph inside the frame, or you could even ‘frame’ yourself doing something funny or silly and take a photo of it. The options are endless but you must take a real photograph of your framed creation and upload it to Pinterest.
 
You'll find the full instructions of how to submit your entry on the link above. The competition closes on November 22md.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Win £50 to spend at The Gift Oasis

The Gift Oasis are running a competition to win £50 to spend with them.  In order to enter, you need to visit their Facebook page where you can get up to three entries, by Liking them on Facebook, following them on Twitter and tweeting their tweet, using the Rafflecopter app.

The competition closes on December 1st.

Win a Samsung Note

As the Christmas period approaching people are looking more and more for great pre-Christmas gifts, so what could be better than a competition that offers a Samsung Note?
The competition is on the Bay TV homepage.  The mechanic is  simple, all you need to do to enter is to visit http://www.baytvliverpool.com/, allow the Facebook app using the link in the carousel, answer a question and enter the prize draw.
 
To answer the question, you'll need to watch a short video. You'll find the answer quite near the beginning, but if you're anything like me you'll watch the whole thing with a soppy grin on your face.
 
You can enter once a week until the closing date of December 1st.

Win £300 to spend on oak furniture

Oak Furniture UK have just launched a competition to win a £300 voucher to spend with them. Two runners up will each win a £100 voucher. To enter, head over to their competition page and answer the three simple questions. One entry per person, and the competition closes on January 1st.


Friday 8 November 2013

WIN a Kiddicare Woodland Hedgehog bootie and bib set

The latest competition at Mamajewels is for a cute pair of hedgehog booties with a co-ordinating bandanna bib. To enter, head over to the competition page and enter using the Rafflecopter form (tip: if you can't see the form, click on where it says "A Rafflecopter giveaway"). The closing date is December 2nd

Win a remote radar tracker

How often do you wish you had a tracker for those small things that are always getting lost like your keys or your spare pair of glasses?

Well, thanks to Purple Parking, six people can win a Stick'nFind remote radar tracker, which you stick to the losable item and can then track with your smart phone (assuming you've not lost that!).

To enter, you need to be a driver - otherwise your answers won't make any sense - and head over to the Purple Parking poll page to answer a survey about parking. Head to this page to enter: http://www.purpleparking.com/travel-advice/poll

The competition closes on November 11th.

Thursday 7 November 2013

Win a piece of original art

Richard Buckley is an artist who produces vivid textured abstract canvases that make a great focal point for a room, and he is giving you the chance to WIN one. To enter, head over to his Facebook page and enter through the competition tab.  You have until December 31st to enter.

Wednesday 6 November 2013

ASA Adjudication on MTV Networks Europe - Advertising Standards Authority

What a nerve! Somebody cheats quite blatantly in a voting comp - and then complains to the ASA when he doesn't win! This would be hilarious if it wasn't so depressing to think that somebody genuinely  believes they have a right to cheat but the promoter doesn't have a right to stop therm. One more reason voting comps are best avoided.

ASA Adjudication on MTV Networks Europe - Advertising Standards Authority

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Links in direct messages on Twitter

You may have found over the last couple of weeks that you have been unable to send any of your friends a Twitter direct message that contains a link. You probably thought it was a fault that would put itself right sooner or later - but it isn't a fault, it's a policy change. And it's been done to protect US.

I'm sure at one time or another you've received a direct message from a friend saying something like "I read this nasty thing about you" "I saw you in a video" or "The quick way to lose weight" - and containing a link. If you were sensible, you realised that their account had been hacked and ignored the message. You may, unfortunately, have clicked on the link and as a result your own account may have been compromised and started sending out similar messages, and you will have had the hassle of changing passwords, deleting messages, removing apps and apologising to friends.

So Twitter has decided to try to put a stop to this hacking and spamming by blocking us from sending ANY direct messages that contain links. (Could this mean the end of True Twit authentication? - I hope so!). You'll find that a few are still slipping through the net, but for the most part if you try to send a DM containing a link you'll get an error message, or your message will just sit there refusing to go.

Inconvenient? It can be, but if Twitter is doing something about the hackers who use innocent people's accounts to generate their spam, then it's well worth putting up with.

Win £1,000 of Thomas Cook vouchers

With summer long gone and rainy, dark winter nights on the horizon; what would be better than a chance to win sunshine and escape the typical British weather?
 
Anglian Home Improvements are giving the British public an opportunity to leave the cold behind and enjoy some sun. All you have to do is beat the raindrops in our interactive game, where you will be in with a chance of winning £1,000* of Thomas Cook holiday vouchers.
 
You can play here www.anglianhome.co.uk/winsunshine  or directly through the video at the bottom of this post (readers who view Compersgrapevine through a feed or by email may need to click on the subject of the post to be taken to the website in order to play)
 
Feel free to share the sun with your friends using #winsunshine
 
The competition closes on January 31st.


See if you can choose the fastest Raindrop in the Raindrop Racing Game from Anglian - Click to play now!
Can you beat the British weather? Play the Anglian Home Improvement's Raindrop Racing Game for a chance to win a fantastic family holiday.

November's Right Venues competition

The prize for November is a one night stay at the Hyatt, Birmingham, with an upgrade to a Skyline view room (subject to availability)

 Enter on the competition page, writing "none" in the Company Name and Job Title fields if necessary. They are very happy to accept your entry even if you don't represent a company.

Closing 30th Movember

Win one of 100 digital copies of Psychologies magazine

It's been months in the making, but finally the beautiful, re-shaped Psychologies is here. With new sections, a new look and new experts, they hope to give us a women's magazine like no other.

They really want to know what we think, so they're giving away 100 digital copies. All you have to do is tick a few boxes and you could be kicking back and enjoying the new issue!

Click here to enter 
http://bit.ly/1bS9WzD - like the Facebook page and complete the form. The closing date is November 18th.
 

Monday 4 November 2013

10 bags of bird seed to be won

New to the comping scene, Conservation Grade are planning lots of small but frequent giveaways. The first one is now live on their Facebook page, where they are giving away 10 bags of Conservation Blend bird seed.  Go to the photo and answer the question below it  - don't forget to like the page too! The closing date is November 14th.

Win some great Brabantia products

Do you remember Brabantia's "Pimp your bin" competition that ran earlier this year? Well the shortlist for the People's Choice is now online and waiting for your vote - and everyone who votes has a chance to win a new Flatback bin or Lipstick red Laundry bag or 12 L Mineral Pink bin. Head over to their Facebook page to vote - you can vote once per person and your vote needs to be in by November 9th.

Sunday 3 November 2013

Win a box of Belgian chocolates

Hot on the heels of the chocolate wreath giveaway I told you about yesterday, the Diary of a Jewellery Lover is now giving you a chance to win a box of Belgian chocolates. Head over to the competition page and use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

The competition closes on November 22nd.

Saturday 2 November 2013

Win a Hotel Chocolat wreath

The Diary of a Jewellery Lover is giving away a Hotel Chocolat wreath. Enter using the Rafflecopter form on the competition page where you can collect entries in several ways. The competition closes on November 21st, in plenty time to eat all the chocolate display it in time for Christmas!

Friday 1 November 2013

Grape Vine's October winners list

Don't forget that this competition is still running until December 31st! It is only open to those who were current Grape Vine subscribers on September 1st. If that applies to YOU, don't forget to email me with details of your wins worth £500 or more, to be in the end-of-year draw for a cheque for £25 plus 100 second class stamps!

Congratulations to this month's winners:


Freda Emery               Golf clubs (£600) – Sports.com magazine

Linda Spevick             All inclusive Antigua holiday – Mail on Sunday

Sharon Buchalter        40” Smart TV and Galaxy tablet – instore comp in Carphone Warehouse or Phones 4 U
 
Jane Willis                     Pashley bike £675) - Tyrrells crisps