Friday 31 January 2014

Win a personalised canvas with Mellow Mummy

As I'm sure many of you already know, my daughter Emma runs the site Mellow Mummy which is all about her relaxed attitude to parenthood. And being a comper's daughter, she knows how much people love competitions, so she runs as many as she can.

Her latest competition is to win a personalised canvas from Cow and Bell, and closes  on February 11th. All you need to do is answer the question by commenting - which wil lbe a relief to all you Rafflecopter haters!

Thursday 30 January 2014

QUICK! Win tent hire for a festival

The PR who sent me the press release didn't give me a closing date, and all I can see  on the Facebook page is a vague "T&C apply" without actually saying what the T&C are, but it looks to me as if it closes on January 31st so instead of delaying things by chasing up more info I'm just giving you the info I've been given so you can enter right away.

POD Tents Give Festivalgoers the Chance to Win a Modular Camping System This Summer
 
POD Tents, the team behind the interconnecting tents that give camping a social edge, have launched a fantastic new Facebook competition that will allow one lucky winner to hire a POD Tent for any UK music festival entirely free of charge.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Schedule a tweet to win a break in London

Have you ever scheduled a Tweet? That means writing a tweet on Twitter, but instead of it going out straight away, you use an app to save it and send it out at a scheduled time. You can find a round up of some of the easiest-to-use scheduling apps, and a guide to shy they can  be useful for compers, here.

And now scheduling just one tweet could win you a night at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and tickets to see From Here To Eternity The Musical. Read all about the prize, and the tweet that you need to schedule, on Kristyna Myles' website.

Make sure you set your tweet to go out between 10 am and 10.05 am on Monday February 10th. Then you can go out to work, walk the dog or do whatever else fills your Monday mornings, safe in the knowledge that even though you're not around, you are still entering a great competition!

Win a Chicco Quattro Sit 'N' Ride car worth £69.99

Win a Chicco Quattro Sit 'N' Ride car worth £69.99
Here's a lovely competition if you have or know any young children (or grandchildren!).  Cate on her 'Me add three' blog is giving away Chicco Quattro Sit 'N' Ride Car.  It looks like a great toy for a boy or girl, with lots of different options for play.

As blog competitions are typically low entry, you have a great chance of winning too.

Entry is via a Rafflecopter widget on the blog.  The competition closes on 14th February. 

http://meaddthree.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/win-chicco-quattro-sit-n-ride-car.html

Tuesday 28 January 2014

This week's Roquito Peppers competition

Roquito® Peppers know you like a bit of fun so are giving a chance to win a jar of their fab Roquito® peppers and Roquito® Pepper Pearls. All you have to do is like their Facebook page and tell them who you would like to share your peppers with by tagging in one of your friends.

eg. I would like to share my peppers with 
Roquito Peppers
 
The more shares and likes, the better chance of winning.
 
Winner will be announced on Friday 31st Jan, have fun and good luck!
 

 
 
 

Sunday 26 January 2014

Win children's books with Yet Another Blogging Mummy

Yet Another Blogging Mummy has three copies of the book Pirates Don't Play Cricket to be won. Enter on the competition page where you can read all about the book. The competition closes  on February 3rd

Win a bicycle light with Car User

Car user have another competition - this time you can win a bicycle light. All you need to do is visit their Facebook page and click "Like" on the competition post.  How easy is that? The closing date is February 4th

Saturday 25 January 2014

What's the best way to share a competition entry on Facebook?

Like and share competitions - they are everywhere on Facebook, aren't they? And even though they don't strictly comply with Facebook's revised guidelines for running competitions, it's pretty hard to avoid them. Even the most determined non-sharer finds themselves drawn to join in.

So you've decided to share a competition. But how do you know the promoter can see that you've shared it? Well, first of all, if your profile is set to anything other than public, it's not worth entering as they won't see it, so you can stop reading here and go and enter some different types of competition instead. Or make your profile public then come back here and read on!

My own understanding of sharing to enter a competition is that you need to click on the word Share under the post, select "On your own timeline" from the top drop down menu in the share box and "public" from the bottom one, and publish your share that way. But I'm seeing shares done in lots of other ways - people are sharing onto my timeline, into my private message inbox, and by tagging me in comments. So I'm starting to wonder what exactly the page owner sees.

Luckily I have a page myself - the Grapevine page.  So I'm going to run a little experiment on there. I'll post a series of updates and ask you to share each one in a different way. Please read the instructions on each one and follow them exactly, then after sharing, comment with "done" (or anything else you care to say!) to let me know you've shared.

At the end of the experiment, I'll check the comments against the list of shares that Facebook shows me, to see which of them tallies up best - and with any luck, we'll then know whether any one way of sharing is better then another!

I did think of offering a prize to thank you all for helping with the research, but then I decided that wouldn't be fair, because if some people used the sharing methods that turn out to be less effective then I wouldn't see their entries. So your reward will be the knowledge that when the results are in, you'll know what the most effective way of sharing is to make sure your entry is seen.

I'll be posting the updates over the course of this weekend, and will collate the results on February 1st.

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Win a dating consultation

Now this is a very unusual prize - a 90 minute dating consultation from Drawing Down The Moon! The winner will be able to take part in person, or by Skype or telephone, and will have a range of topics they can choose to discuss.

Read all about it on the Drawing Down The Moon website, where you will find links to the Facebook page and post that you need to Like in order to enter. The competition closes on February 13th

Tuesday 21 January 2014

The latest competitions from The Diary of a Jewellery Lover

There are lots of competitions at The Diary of A Jewellery Lover -  and not just for jewellery. At the moment you could even win a bottle of gin! The currently active competitions are:

Win a Merci Maman engraved necklace ends 10/02
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2014/01/merci-maman-jewellery-competition-and.html

Win A Gorgeous Bunch of Flowers with Serenata Flowers ends 09/02
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2014/01/win-gorgeous-bouquet-with-serenata.html

Win a Curbbz bracelet ends 09/02
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2014/01/win-with-curbbz-statement-bracelets.html

Win Nelson's Skin Care Goodies - ends 07/02
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2014/01/win-nelsons-products-for-valentines-day.html

Win Tanqueray Gin - ends 06/02
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2014/01/win-with-my-valentines-cocktail-ideas.html

Win a Camera With Photobox - ends 28/02/14
http://www.thediaryofajewellerylover.co.uk/2013/12/win-camera-with-photobox.html


With so many competitions, and new ones appearing frequently, why don't you follow the site or bookmark the competition page so that you never miss one?

This week's competition from Roquito Peppers

Sin 1 Sloth: Felling a bit lazy after the rush of Christmas? check out their pimped up casserole dish on www.facebook.com/RoquitoPeppers . Send in your Facebook or instagram videos of your pimped up dishes for a chance to win a jar of Roquito® peppers and pearls! The best video will be drawn and won on Friday 24th January.
 
Here is the link to the social media sites: https://www.facebook.com/RoquitoPeppers   /   @Roquito_Peppers / http://instagram.com/roquitopeppers

 
 

Sunday 19 January 2014

Win champagne and chocolates with Tamba

Tamba are giving away champagne and chocolates to promote their 100 Social Media Strategies. And not just any champagne and chocolate - Fortnum and Masons champagne and chocolates!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form on their website - where you can also apply for a free copy of the guide.

The closing date is January 31st.

Saturday 18 January 2014

Win extra bright headlight bulbs for your car

Car User are planning to feature regular competitions on their Facebook page. The current one is for a pair of Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited headlight bulbs and couldn't be easier to enter - all you have to do is Like this status.

This competition ends on January 24th, but if you Like the page you'll be able to keep a look out for new competitions when they appear.

Win an original painting

The artist Richard Buckley is giving away another original painting, this time in rich warm read and earth tones, my favourite colours!

To enter, go to his Facebook page, like the page and then click on the "Win this painting" button. Once you have entered, you can share on Facebook and/or Twitter and will get extra entries if friends enter from your share.

The competition closes at 8pm on February 17th.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Win a Diamond Blend Eye Patch

Yet Another Blogging Mummy (that's the name of her blog, not a comment on the number  of Mummy blogs about!) is giving away a Diamond Blend Eye Patch, to refresh and brighten the area under your eyes.

To enter, pop over to the competition post and use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

The closing date is January 21st.

Get ready for the Decathlon Fitness Challenge

Here's a heads up about a competition due to start very soon - Decathlon are going to be giving you a chance to get fit AND win great prizes in a series of fitness challenges.

There will be 10 challenges, and people will be able to enter by videoing themselves completing the challenge and prizes will be awarded at the end (quickest completion, best method, best location, best dressed etc). There will be over 50 prizes with a grand prize of £500.

Full details and terms and conditions have not yet been finalised, but you can see the competition page and pre-register to take part (scroll down through the animation to get to the registration form) at http://squared.decathlon.co.uk/ 

I don't know yet whether you will need to be a Decathlon card holder in order to enter, but it's been a requirement of all the competitions they have run in the past. So why not get ready for the challenge now by signing up for a free card on their website?

I'll be back with more details when the competition goes live.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Win Roquito Peppers every week

Here is what Roquito Peppers have told us about their new competition:



Our devilish Roquito® Facebook campaign is just around the corner and to get you in the mood we will be giving away a jar of our Roquito® peppers and Roquito chilli pepper pearls® to a couple of lucky winners every week until 7th March. For a chance to win all you have to do is get as many friends as possible to like our page on Facebook by sharing and liking and follow us on twitter, get enough and you could be in for a spicy treat!
 
Facebook link:
 
Twitter:

Win a 5* Trip for 2 to New York

 
 This January, to celebrate citysocializer launching in New York they are giving you and a friend the chance to discover The Big Apple in 5* style
 

 
Win a 3 night break* including return flights and...
 
3 Night  at 5* Soho Grand Hotel
A helicopter tour of NYC
Tickets to the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty
Tickets to top of the world famous Rockefeller Centre
Hop on Hop off Buss Passes for 3 days
Return private car transfers
How to enter:
Follow the link and create a free profile. The more friends you invite to join the more chances you have to win!
*Valid dates only: 7th Feb - 10th Feb, 28th Feb - 3rd Mar 2014, 7th Mar - 10 Mar 2014, 14th Mar - 17th Mar 2014, 28th Mar - 31 Mar 2014, 25th Apr - 28th Apr 2014.
 
Competition ends: Midnight, Friday 31st January 2014

 

VeeWee Facebook Competition - Win £100 Spending Spree At VeeWee

VeeWee Facebook Competition - Win £100 Spending Spree At VeeWee
 
VeeWee is offering you a chance to win £100 to spend on their online store. Submit your name and email address and be in to win. Click on the "SWEEPSTAKES" tab to enter, good luck!
 
 
Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.
 
Closing date: 31 January, 2013

Win an iPad mini and more with DNAFit

DNAFit  have a great competition that gives you the chance to win an iPad mini, a Nike Fuelband and a personalised fitness plan based on your DNA. Enter through their website or their Facebook page. The competition closes on January 20th.

Friday 10 January 2014

Win Valentine's treat with Chez Maximka

There's a new competition at Chez Maximka, with a selection of Valentine's treats and a personalised cup to be won.

A new prize will be revealed every day for seven days, starting today, Friday January 10th. Today's prize and the entry page can be found here. To enter, comment on the blog post with an answer to that day's question. New prizes and questions will be added to the post each day.

At the end of the competition, all the entries will be pooled and a winner drawn. The first prize winner will get the prizes for ALL the days they have entered, and then if they haven't entered every day, another winner will be drawn for any prizes that are left.

To make sure you enter every day, I suggest you follow using one of the methods on the right hand side of the blog.

Thursday 9 January 2014

Win a selection of Italian produce

Fab Food 4 All has a giveaway any food lover will want to enter- a selection of Italian foods worth £57. There is olive oil, chocolates, pasta, herbs and much, much more in the prize package.

Enter on the competition page by completing any or all of the tasks in the simple Rafflecopter form. The closing date is March 8th but the sooner you enter, the more extra entries you can accrue by tweeting daily.

And if you win, maybe you'll serve up something like this:

Finding out who won a competition

Have you ever wondered who actually WON a competition you entered? Maybe there were so many prizes that you really thought you or one of your comping friends might have won, or it was a creative competition and you thought your entry was particularly good, or you are just plain curious? Or maybe, unfortunately, you suspect foul play - the prize not being given at all, or being given to friends or family of the promoter.

Before I continue, I must put your mind at rest over one thing. MOST competitions are run honestly and fairly, and the prizes are sent out to genuine winners. Bigger companies tend to run them through promotions agencies, who make sure everything is done scrupulously honestly. Glitches do occasionally occur, often due to the high turnover of staff, when somebody who is dealing with a promotion leaves the company and doesn't brief their successor properly. This probably explains the occasional times I have chased up a winners list and seen familiar names on it - twice even my own name- and know that the winners haven't had their prizes. A quick call to the firm and glitches like that are soon ironed out.

Smaller businesses, though, usually deal with competitions in-house, to avoid the expense of an agency, and often the people running the competitions are unaware of the laws and guidelines they are supposed to follow.

And down at the bottom of the heap, there are the very few businesses who run a competition with no intention of giving away a prize at all, just to build up their database or Facebook likers. Some of these are completely fake pages, set up to farm likes and then sell them, others are rather sleazily run, but still real,  businesses.

Suppose you have entered a competition and want to know who won, either because you are still hopeful of a prize or you think there may have been something underhand going on.

Are you entitled to know?

Yes, you are. You will often be fobbed off with "We can't give you the details because of the Data Protection Act" but that is simply NOT TRUE. Every promoter of every competition run here in the UK, however big or small, must follow the rules on competitions listed in the CAP Codes for Promotions - section 8 is the one that deals with competitions and similar promotions. And according to section 8.28.5 they MUST either publish the names and counties of winners, or make that information available to anyone who enquires about it. These rules apply right across the board, whether the competition is being run by the biggest companies in Britain or a young Mum who sells jewellery through a Facebook page to help to make ends meet. (There are some exceptions for registered charities and private clubs where only members can participate, but even those are obliged to be fair open and honest!)

How do you find out who won?

A letter, phone call or email to the promoter, or a query on their Facebook page, should yield a result. If they start trying to make excuses, send them a link to the CAP guidelines or to this post. They may well simply be unaware of their obligations.

If, however, they still refuse, you can send in a complaint to the Institute of Promotional Marketing  using this form. They will look at your complaint, and may be able to resolve it themselves. If necessary, they will pass it on to the Advertising Standards Authority who will investigate further. You can read about their judgment on one company who refused to give out winners list here.

Oh, and if you spot my name on a list, you WILL contact me to check that I know about it and have received my prize, won't you?

Win £100 worth of Car Parts from GSF Car Parts

 
GSF Car Parts is offering you a chance to win £100 to spend on their Car Parts website. Submit your name and email address and be in to win.
 
 
Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.
 
Closing date: 31 January, 2014
 
 
About GSF Car Parts
 
GSF Car Parts stock a range of parts for all makes of car and light commercial vehicles, whether you are looking for original quality or a budget version you can be sure of a great parts and discounts.

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Win £150 worth of Car Parts from GSF Car Parts

Win £150 worth of Car Parts from GSF Car Parts
 
GSF Car Parts are offering you chance to win a fabulous prize, simply by answering the question below.
 
Question: Where do you enter your vehicle information at GSF Car Parts website?
 
Answer: B. On the left hand side of every page
 
 
Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.
 
Closing date: 31 January, 2014
 
 
About GSF Car Parts
 
GSF Car Parts stock a range of parts for all makes of car and light commercial vehicles, whether you are looking for original quality or a budget version you can be sure of a great parts and discounts.
 

Win £200 to spend at Brook Taverner

Yes, another great competition from Brook Taverner!

Brook Taverner - Win £200 Spending Spree at Brook Taverner
 
Brook Taverner Facebook Competition: This month Brook Taverner is giving away a £200 spending spree. Simply enter your email to be in to win.
 
 
Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.
 
Closing date: 31 January, 2014
 
 
About Brook Taverner
 
Since 1912, Brook Taverner has been a leading name in classic men's tailoring. Their beautifully tailored suits, jackets, mens trousers and overcoats are produced using premium cloths from sources around the world. They offer FREE returns, FREE hemming and FREE alterations with every purchase.

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Win a "Long Live Fun" weekend with Thistle Hotels

Join the Thistle Hotels Resolution Revolution!
 
Win a ‘Long Live Fun’ Weekend at a Thistle Hotel of your choice, with chilled bubbles, chocolate and breakfast.
 
To win, visit https://www.facebook.com/thistlehotels/app_143103275748075 enter your email address and start having some fun!
 
Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.  Entries close Monday 13th January 2014.

Win £500 of menswear with Brook Taverner

Brook Taverner is offering you chance to win a fabulous prize, simply by answering the question below.
 
Question: How much are returns at Brook Taverner?
 
Answer:  B. Free - so you can try on at home and send back what you do not like
 
 
Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.
 
Closing date: 31 January, 2014
 
 
About Brook Taverner
 
Since 1912, Brook Taverner has been a leading name in classic men's tailoring. Their beautifully tailored suits, jackets, mens trousers and overcoats are produced using premium cloths from sources around the world. They offer FREE returns, FREE hemming and FREE alterations with every purchase.

Sunday 5 January 2014

Man spends £1,000 trying to win Nando's competition only to find it had closed - Home News - UK - The Independent

Do you remember how often I've said that when you are deciding whether or not to enter a competition, the very FIRST thing you should check is the closing date? Well, this is the kind of thing that happens to people who don't.........

Man spends £1,000 trying to win Nando's competition only to find it had closed - Home News - UK - The Independent

Friday 3 January 2014

Discover 'Secret London' by winning the ultimate weekend break for two!

Discover 'Secret London' by winning the ultimate weekend break for two!
 
The prize includes a two night stay with dinner and drinks at a Guoman hotel of your choice, a secret agent private speed boat tour on the Thames, a personal shopping experience with a personal stylist to the stars, 90 minutes of treatments at a secret spa in the heart of London, a helicopter flight over the city and £250 spending money.
 
 
To enter, just submit your email address on one of Guoman's Facebook pages:
 
 
Remember to share this with your friends and family (they might take you along if they win!) and search #UnlockLondon for more of London's hidden gems!
 
Prize package for two adults includes:
  • A two night stay at a Guoman Hotel of the winner’s choice.
  • Dinner at the hotel restaurant (up to the value of £200).
  • Private speedboat tour on the River Thames.
  • Half day personal shopping experience around London’s hidden boutiques,
    with a personal stylist and £250 spending allowance.
  • 90 minute treatment (per person) at a spa in the heart of London.
  • Helicopter flight over London.
Entrants must be aged 18 or above and the competition closes on January 13th. One entry per person - you only need to enter through ONE of the Facebook pages listed - you won't gain any advantage by entering through more than one as only one entry will be counted.

Thursday 2 January 2014

Win a gorgeous necklace from Mama Jewels

Mama Jewels have another lovely competition for you to enter - here are the details

Competition Title: WIN our new Inca necklace in orchid shades.
Type of Competition: Prize Draw
Closing Date: 28 January 2014

Wednesday 1 January 2014

The Grape Vine Winners list

Well done to the final entries in the 2013 Grape Vine Winners List

Stephy Buckridan       Around £1,500 of gadgets – Currys/PC World

Linda Spevick             10 day Baltic cruise – Mail on Sunday

Alison Walker             Sofa bed (£2,400) – Period Ideas magazine

Linda Spevick             £500 James Villa Holiday voucher and Fortnum and Mason Hamper - James Villas Conde Nast Luxury Fair

There were 95 entries to the winners list comp this year and the random number generator came up with entry number 76, who is Jean Beer. A cheque for £25 and 100 second class stamps will be on the way to her very soon.

VELVET DAISY : TI SENTO SILVER AND PEARL JEWELLERY GIVEAWAY

VELVET DAISY : TI SENTO SILVER AND PEARL JEWELLERY GIVEAWAY