Friday 28 February 2014

Win a trip to the Maldives with Kuoni

If you have a blog, you really MUST check out this new competition from Kuoni - you could win a holiday in the Maldives!

You can read all about the competition here - the idea is that you should write a blog post about what signature scent should represent the Maldives. You will find instructions for submitting your entry by email or twitter.

Make sure your entry reaches them by March 28th!

Win a bread maker with Kavey Eats

When we say "bread maker" these days, a huge electrical gadget springs to mind, but the Lékué  is a completely different type of bread maker - it's a special bowl that you can  mix, knead, prove and bake the dough in - you can even microwave your bread in it! Just think of the amount of washing up you could save...... (well, if you're as messy as I am!) . And talking of washing up, it's dishwasher safe too.

And Kavey  Eats has one to give away!


To enter the competition pop over to the competition page and comment, like and/or tweet as instructed.  For those of you who hate Rafflecopter, Kavey Eats is a Rafflecopter free zone!

The closing date is March 21st.

Thursday 27 February 2014

Win a Gourmet experience for your porridge recipe!

THINK you know your oats? Well it’s time to hit the stove, as Simon Rimmer puts the Nation’s porridge culinary skills to the ultimate test, with the Mornflake Great British Porridge Challenge!
The top TV chef and Britain’s oldest family oat miller, Mornflake Cereals, are urging porridge fans to share their oaty masterpieces, for a chance to take part in the first ever ‘Porridge Stir-Off’, at the home of Mornflake Oats, in Cheshire, on Saturday 5th April.
 
 
 
The ‘Stir-Off’ will take place in the scenic, 13th Century Bunbury Water Mill, near Mornflake Cereals, where the winning recipe will be chosen by Simon, Porridge guru and Golden Spurtle winner, Anna Louise Batchelor (aka the Porridge Lady), together with Mornflake MD, John Lea.
 
The winner will enjoy a fabulous Gourmet Evening-for-two, hosted by Simon, at his award-winning Cheshire restaurant, Earle, a year’s worth of Mornflake Porridge Oats and an all-expenses-paid trip to enter their recipe into the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championships, in Scotland. The recipe will also feature in Mornflake’s annual Oat Recipe Book.
 
 
 
You can read all about the competition and upload your recipe on the website or Facebook page - the closing date is March 6th. For inspiration, take a look at the delicious recipe on my other blog, Onions and Paper.
 
But if you would rather just tuck in to a great breakfast than create interesting dishes with your oats, why not have a go at our own competition to win a Mornflake hamper? You'll find full details here.
 
 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

QUICK - win dinner at the Grub pop up!

Next week, a pop up restaurant called Grub will be putting in a brief appearance in London, just for a few days, and serving a seven course meal based on edible insects. Dinner will cost you £36.50 a head - unless you WIN a pair of tickets from Chez Maximka. Just pop over to the competition page and answer a simple question - but HURRY as the competition closes on March 2nd.

It set me thinking - have you ever eaten insects (apart from swallowing a fly, that is)? I haven't - but I do have recipes for them! Here is a recipe for Sago Grub Satay - much as I love satay, I've not been tempted by this recipe (and anyway, my local Waitrose never seems to have sago grubs in stock!)

 
The recipe comes from the book Kaikai Aniani which is a famous work about food in Papua New Guinea - my husband bought it for  me when he had to work there for a few weeks. Other recipes in it include Flying Fox and Prunes in Cream Sauce, Baked Snake and Roast Bandicoot. It even tells you how to cook people - so be careful if you are thinking of getting on the wrong side of me - I have just the recipe to sort you out!!!  (Incidentally the only recipe I've tried from it is a rather delicious Avocado Ice Cream)

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Two new competitions from Chez Maximka

There are two lovely competitions at Chez Maximka  at the moment (and, if you read her post about cooking disasters, a chance to laugh at some kitchen disasters including a couple of mine)

The first competition gives you the chance to win the Brian Cox "Wonders of Life" app and book,  and closes on March 11th. Enter this one by commenting on the blog post.

The second one is for two cases of the new Special K Granola. Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter this one, which closes on March 18th.

Win a set of special spoons

One of my most often used spoons is an olive spoon, so I was intrigued by the set of special spoons that Yet Another Blogging Mummy is giving away to celebrate her 100th post. Just head over to the post, read about the spoons and then follow the link to either the Rafflecopter form or Facebook page to submit your entry. The closing date is March 3rd.

The Decathlon competiton is now live!

Do you remember that a few weeks ago I gave you advance warning of a new competition being run by Decathlon? Well it's now live, with the first challenge due to close on February 26th, so head over there right away and see what you need to do!

There are lots of sporty prizes to be won, but don't forget that you don  't need to be ultra fit - you can win spot prizes for creativity too!

Sunday 23 February 2014

Check out your local takeaway and win £100 cash!

Take-a-way  is looking for your takeway menus! And they are offering prizes of £100, £75 and £50 to the three people who send them the most menus by March 28th, with 5 runners up prizes of £15 each to be drawn randomly from everyone who enters.

To enter, simply collect together as many different takeaway menus as you can and send them in by post or as emailed scans. You can read full entry details on their competition page. And don't worry about finding more after you've sent in your entry - they've thought of that. You can send your entries in as many batches as you like, and they will add them all together to get your total.

Their previous competition closed on December 21st - here is the winners list. I can see several familiar names there - well done to all the winners!

1st D. Lindsay - Kirk Sandal
2nd J. Shanahan - Worthing
3rd C.Gilbert - Belper

Runners up £15 each
H. Newton - Leytonstone
A.Coughlan - Morecambe
A.Kennelly - Hull
K.Kitchen - Bolton
C. Dutton - Doncaster

Friday 21 February 2014

Win eyelash extensions

S&S Beauty is giving away a free set of eyelash extensions - and they will travel to anywhere in London to do them!

To enter, simply like their Facebook page and then comment on the competition post to tell them who you would like to share a bottle of wine with.

The closing date is March 7th.

Thursday 20 February 2014

Win £500 worth of tiles for your kitchen or bathroom

Bohen Tiles are giving away £500 worth of tiles for your kitchen or bathroom. Enter by completing the online entry form or use the store locator to find your nearest branch and complete and hand in a form instore.

The closing date is April 1st.

Win a luxury £10,000 ski holiday

Yes, a £10,000 ski holiday! That's what London City Airport are giving away in their latest competition. The prize is a 7 might family holiday, and what's more it is to be taken during the school Easter holidays, so none of those worries about a family prize not being suitable for families with school aged children! And if you have no children, the prize is available to couples too - families can choose from the weeks 29 March - 5 April 2014 or 5 - 12 April 2014 or if you win as a couple you can choose dates between 15 - 22 March 2014.

Enter on their website or their Facebook page . The closing date is 00.00am on make sure you enter by midnight on the 2nd!

Win an exciting adventure prize every week with Contiki

Are you aged 18-35? If you are, you have a chance to win an exciting adventure holiday every week with Contiki’s #NOREGRETS Adventure Challenge

 Each week a different Contiki host will be asking you a challenge question about their adventure destination. Just watch the video, which will be shown here: http://www.contiki.com/adventurechallenge, correctly answer the challenge and you and a friend could be jetting off on a Contiki trip to the featured location!
 
This week is launching with Europe, but destinations in future weeks include the beautiful Galapagos islands, Peru and Thailand.
 
 
Here's what they say about the challenge:
 
"At Contiki, we treat every day as a new adventure, making every moment count and looking back with absolutely no regrets. Starting today, February 17th, and running for the next eight weeks, Contiki will be taking 18-35 year olds on an epic adventure around the world with an exciting new campaign, The #NOREGRETS Adventure Challenge (contiki.com/adventurechallenge).

Every Monday, Contiki will be rolling out a new video challenge hosted by a variety of the youth travel brand's ambassadors, from Canadian YouTuber Andrew ‘Gunnarolla’ Gunadie to Billabong pro surfer Felicity Palmateer. Each video showcases original content telling the story of authentic Contiki adventures around the world, featuring the chance to win a life-changing trip to that week’s destination. With eight weeks of prizes, this is Contiki’s biggest giveaway to date!


We’re kicking off week one in Europe, home to some of the world’s most culturally diverse countries, including 35 that Contiki visits. Some people say travelling to Europe is a rite of passage, but at Contiki, we call it an adventure. From white water rafting in the Austrian Tyrol to diving off a sailboat into the crystal clear waters of Greece to sampling local delicacies in the French countryside, Europe is what life is all about – discovery. Join Contiki ambassador and Twilight actor Michael Welch to check out the highlights of Europe in this week’s adventure challenge, stopping atop the snowy mountain ranges of Switzerland for a favourite winter activity.
Are you up for an adventure? Visit contiki.com/adventurechallenge for a chance to try out this week’s challenge and enter to win an incredible trip through Europe. Subscribe to Contiki’s YouTube channel and check back each Monday over the following seven weeks as we give away more trips to the world’s hottest destinations like Peru, Thailand and Galapagos.
Life’s an adventure. Make sure you look back with no regrets."
 

Tuesday 18 February 2014

The Death of a Comping Legend

Many older compers will recognise the name Aubrey Morris. In the 1950s, he was editor of the weekly comping newspaper, Competitors Journal, and for many years he was the President of the London Competitors Club.

Aubrey passed away on December 19th 2013 after suffering from pneumonia which developed after a fall. He was 85 years old.

When I started comping in the 1980s, he was no longer editing CJ but was still a regular contributor and I found his tips and advice invaluable. I still have a pair of self-published booklets of his that I bought at around that time:


They contain guidance on tiebreaker writing, researching answers, effective ways of approaching order of merit competitions and writing limericks - and those who know me well will vouch for my love of limerick writing, which comes from my original reading of Aubrey's booklets. Most of the information in them is, of course, out of date now - we no longer need a compers' reference library, for instance, when a search engine means we have all the information on the internet at our fingertips, but they are still great to turn to for inspiration.

Rest in peace, Aubrey, and thank you for helping to introduce me to the greatest hobby in the world!

Monday 17 February 2014

Win a pancake hamper from Kavey Eats

Do you know it's almost Pancake Day? This year it's on March 4th - are you ready?

Kavey Eats is giving away a hamper stuffed with Abara-ca-Debora pancakes and delicious things to eat with them. Just pop over to the competition page and follow the instructions to enter by commenting, liking on Facebook and/or Tweeting.

The closing date is March 4th - Pancake Day!

Saturday 15 February 2014

Choose Your Facebook Friends Wisely

If you are a comper who uses Facebook, you probably have a public account and a habit of accepting almost any friend request as long as you have some mutual friends with the person in question. And you'll occasionally get friend requests from your existing friends - maybe they have decided to open a new account for comping, so that they don't annoy friends and family (actually that's against Facebook rules, but lots of people do it) or have had their account suspended for some reason. But read about something that happened to me recently, and then decide whether you should think more carefully about accepting friend requests, even from existing friends.

Image courtesy of Master Isolated Images/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 
Let me set the scene - one morning I had a friend request from a friend I've known, both online and in real life, for many years. I'll just call her Friend. I was puzzled, as we've been Facebook friends from the day we joined Facebook,  but she was using the profile picture I knew so well and we had quite a few mutual friends. All became clear to me - or so I thought - when she messaged me to say she'd had to open a new account because of problems with the old one.
 
Here's how the conversation went:
 
Friend
Hello how are you doing today, sorry for resending you friend request, i got a trojan virus on the other account so thats why i opened new one and re add you. i was just wondering if you have heard about the compensation promo going on now??
Compensation promo? No, I don't know anything about it, never heard of it. Who's giving compensation?
PS wondered why you'd opened a new account!
 Friend
United nation and Government Grants just came up with a new program for the deaf ,hard of hearing ,disable,blind and hearing people through out the whole universe...Have you heard about this before??
No,are you sure it isn't spam?
 Friend
nope this is not spam ok
I've not heard anything about it, but I don't fall into any of those categories.... yet!
Friend
United nation and Government Grants are helping every deaf,hard of hearing,disable,blind and hearing through out his campaign, they are giving everyone of us that work or not working a grant from £150,000 upward to help us all and i have just gotten mine right in my door step. Have you got yours from him yet???
OMG I've just realised you aren't Friend at all, you are a spammer and hoaxer pretending to be her!
 
At this point "Friend" became highly abusive, having had their scam exposed, and I ended the conversation. If the conversation had continued, I would have been asked to send some kind of release fee to authorise the money to be delivered to me - money which, of course never existed.
 
So how did "Friend" make me think they were real? By cloning a genuine friend's account, then by sending friend requests  to all her friends at once, knowing that lots of people would see the familiar photo and accept without question. That meant that by the time I logged in, lots of our mutual friends were already associated with the new profile.
 
I started to smell a rat quite early in the conversation, as the spelling and grammar were not the same as my real friend uses, but at first I thought she was just upset at having had to start her account all over again - and I felt sorry for her which made me less cautious than I might have been.
There are all kinds of scams based on fake friend requests - have a look at this example from Hoax Slayer, where Facebook is allegedly giving away lump sums of $50,000. I've also heard of scams where the friend claims to be stranded on holiday after a robbery and needs money to help them get home.
 
What can you do to avoid being caught up in them? Every time you get a friend request from somebody you DON'T know, take a look at their page. See who your mutual friends are - you will be able to see these even if the profile is private - and message them to ask if they know the person personally. If you get a friend request from somebody you DO know, message them by email if you know their email address, or on Facebook  USING A LINK THAT YOU ARE CERTAIN GOES TO THEIR OLD PROFILE  (for instance, as a reply to an old message you have not deleted) to ask if the request is genuine. Only this week I almost turned down a request from a comping friend, only to check and find that she was setting up a comping only account because her activities were annoying her family!
 
Post script: Just as I was finishing writing this, I had a friend request and a rather odd personal message from somebody I'd not heard of. I looked at their profile page and saw that their status updates were identical to those of somebody else who sent me a request earlier in the week. I don't know what they are up to..... and I'm not planning to loiter around them for long enough to find out!
 
 

Win Paintballing tickets in a weekly competition

 
Ministry of Paintball is the World's largest paintball provider with over 140 sites within the UK alone including NI.  During the last year they have run campaigns with Macdonalds, Walkers and are again running a national promotion with the Sun.  These deals have been done exclusively with Ministry of Paintball.  They are currently working with the Carphone Warehouse, you may have seen the adverts on the television and in the national press, again this is exclusive to Ministry of Paintball. 
 
They are now running a competition where people can win up to 32 VIP Paintball Entry Passes valid at over 140 UK Locations (RRP £25pp per entry). This competition ends weekly on Sundays and prize winners are drawn every Monday, and they will be running this for the year.
 
What's included in each ministry of paintball VIP ticket:
*            FREE Equipment Hire - All the gear to make you look the part; mask, coveralls, hood and battlepack.
*            FREE Latest Semi-Auto Gun - Fires up to 7 rounds per second. Shoots as fast as you can pull the trigger!
*            FREE Access To Over 140 Sites - All with exciting multiple mission scenarios and experience safety referees.
*           Bonus FREE Lunch - At most locations to keep you full of energy! Vegetarian option available.
The only thing not included is the paintballs that you use on the day. The first 100 paintballs are to be purchased at the time of booking as a deposit, so they can secure your play date, and know that your group will turn up on the day, as they have the right amount of safety marshals and lunch ready for you on day.

Friday 14 February 2014

Win a £25 Amazon voucher

TPW Creative Design
The prize is a £25.00 Amazon Voucher
Closes 28th Feb 2014
 
To enter users have to like the TPW Facebook page, answer a question and complete a form. TPW only ask for your name and email address so that they can contact the winner.
 
Entry is open to people aged 18 and over who are UK residents. One entry per person. Full T&C’s are available on the competition page.
https://www.facebook.com/tpwdesign/app_607199542683187
 

Thursday 13 February 2014

Win some colourful wall stickers

The Gift Oasis is running a competition on their Facebook page with three prizes of one of these lovely sets of wall decals


Enter through the Rafflecopter form on their Facebook page. The closing date is February 23rd.

WIN a beautiful Lisel Collar necklace in pale orchid

Competition Title: WIN our beautiful Lisel Collar necklace in pale orchid
Type of Competition: Prize Draw
Closing Date: 21 February 2014
Competition URL: http://www.mamajewels.co.uk/blog/2014/01/win-our-beautiful-lisel-collar-necklace-in-pale-orchid/ 

Win a ceramic frying pan and utensils

Recently I seem to have brought you rather a lot of what one commenter called "man comps" but today seems to be food-lovers' comp day!

This time Fab Food 4 All is giving you the chance to win a ceramic frying pan and a set of utensils.


Get up to 15 entries (plus more for daily tweets) using the Rafflecopter form on the competition page. The closing date is April 6th.

Win a gorgeous griddle pan

There's a scrumptious fennel risotto recipe over at Belleau Kitchen and along with it, a chance to win this gorgeous (and very useful)  griddle pan.

 
Just head over to the competition post and use the Rafflecopter form to get up to 11 entries (plus extra daily entries for tweeting). The closing date is February 17th.

Win £100 Spending Spree At VeeWee

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: Sweepstakes open only to legal UK residents who are eighteen (18) years of age or older.
 
Limit: One (1) entry per person during the Promotion Period.
 
Closing date: 28 February, 2014
 
 
About VeeWee
 
VeeWee is a vibrant auto parts dealer in UK dedicated to providing you with everything you need to keep your cherished aircooled Volkswagen running smoothly.

Saturday 8 February 2014

Win £100 worth of Car Parts from GSF Car Parts

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: 28 February, 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 £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: 28 February, 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 Spending Spree at 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.

Competition url: https://www.facebook.com/brooktaverner/app_143103275748075

Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.

Closing date: 28 February, 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.

Win £500 to spend on Brook Taverner!

Win £500 to spend on Brook Taverner!

Brook Taverner is offering you chance to win £500 to spend on Brook Taverner, simply by answering the question below.

Question: In which year did the Brook Taverner story start?

Answer:  B: 1912

Competition url: http://www.brooktaverner.co.uk/competition/

Restrictions: Competition open for UK residents only, one entry per person.

Closing date: 28 February, 2014


About Brook Taverner
Since 1912, Brook Taverner has been a leading name in classic men's tailoring. Their beautifully tailored suits, jackets, men's 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.

Friday 7 February 2014

Win a luxury night at Thistle, Cardiff

Share the love with Thistle Cardiff City Centre
 
Share a photo of what you love for a chance to win an overnight Valentine’s Day package for two at Thistle Cardiff City Centre.
 
Prize includes a one night stay at Thistle Cardiff, The Parc, full English breakfast, 5 course Valentine’s dinner, champagne and luxury chocolates and free access to the Vitality Health Club facilities.
 
To enter, post a photo of someone or something you love on Twitter using the hashtag #lovethistle, along with a link to the Cardiff Valentine’s Day page http://www.thistle.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/cardiff/thistle_cardiff_city_centre/hotel_offers/429631.html?codetype=PROMOTION&code=UUU76%22
 
The competition closes 5pm Friday 14th February 2014.  Entrants must be aged 18 or above.

Win a 16 piece screwdriver set

Toucan tools is giving away a 16 piece screwdriver set. To enter, visit their website and use the Rafflecopter form to sign up to their mailing list. After doing that you can get extra entries using Facebook and Twitter.

The closing date is March 9th.

Win a fantastic trip to the British Grand Prix

Have you ever won a VIP trip to a sporting event? My VIP sports prizes have included trips to the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, the World Athletics Championships, the Paralympics in London 2012, the Wimbledon quarter finals and the British Grand Prix.
 
The trip to the Grand Prix was amazing - we were flown in and out by helicopter, had lunch in the VIP marquee,  where I was just behind Jeremy Clarkson in the lunch queue,  and had seats in the best grandstand, right by the start/finish line. We were seated next to a party of Scots, so you can imagine the atmosphere when David Coulthard won the race!
 
It was an amazing prize - but Sky Store are giving you the chance to win an even more exciting one - and there are second and third prizes too.
 

1st prize – 2014 British Grand Prix Tickets
•             2x seats in the VIP box at Silverstone on 4th, 5th and 6th July
•             A chance to go behind the scenes with Sky Sports F1
•             Three nights in a five star hotel and travel included

2nd prize – F1 Show Tickets
•             2x tickets to F1 Show at Sky Studios - including travel & accommodation

3rd prize – Rush Goody Bag
•             McLaren team shirt signed by Jenson Button
•             Rush poster signed by the movie stars and director
•             Official McLaren team membership - for one year
•             James Hunt biography

So what do you need to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prizes? You simply need to rent Ron Howard's film "Rush", the film about the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt during the 1976 Formula 1 season,  from Sky Store before February 23rd, and you will be automatically entered into the draw.

You can read all about the competition at https://www.skystore.com/rush and rent the film here . You don't need to have a Sky box to watch the film, you can watch it on your PC/Mac, or a NOW TV,  Roku or YouView box, and it only costs £3.49 to rent.



Win a rally driving experience

The latest competition from 1st Choice Spares gives you a chance to win a rally driving experience. To enter, visit the competition page and identify the mystery part shown in the photograph - they've given us some clues to help out . Once you know the answer, follow the link to their Facebook page to submit it.

The closing date is May 2nd.

The winner of their recent crossword competition was Jasmine Collier of Leigh in Lancashire.

Win £50 of High Street Vouchers

Online diamond specialist Dejoria have put together a list of their top 10 proposal destinations, and to encourage you to take a look (and they are gorgeous, well worth a look!) they are giving away a prize of £50 worth of High Street vouchers with two runners up prizes of £25 worth.

To enter, read the article and then give your answer to the question in the Rafflecopter box at the bottom. You can then get further entries for liking, following and tweeting.

The competition closes on February 13th.

Thursday 6 February 2014

Win a set of seedballs

Seedballs are a great way to introduce the wild flowers that bees and other insects love into your garden, and Conservation Grade is giving you a chance to win a set of them worth £30. To enter, visit their web site and use the Rafflecopter form to answer the question (Hint: You'll find the answer on the "What is Conservation Grade?" page) - you can get further entries by liking them on Facebook and by signing up to the mailing list. The competition closes on February 28th.

Win a wicker hamper full of goodies

Prestige Wicker are giving you a chance to win a hamper full of goodies - a wicker hamper, of course! To enter, all you need to do is visit their competition page and use the Rafflecopter form to sign up to the mailing list. Once you've done that, you'll be able to get extra entries by liking, following and tweeting. The competition closes on March 6th.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Two websites for compers - including worldwide ones!

As you probably know, I only cover competitions open to UK compers. I have frequently been asked whether I know of any sites that list competitions for other countries, and until now I have always had to say no, but Free Competitions is a site that covers not only UK competitions but also those in the USA,  Australia and New Zealand and South Africa. It could be just what you are looking for!

UK based compers may also be interested in their sister site, Competitions for Free.

Win a week's worth of Happy Monkey drinks

The latest competition from Yet Another Blogging Mummy is to win a week's worth of Happy Monkey drinks. Read all about the drinks and enter  on the competition page. The closing date is February 13th.

Monday 3 February 2014

Win a chocolate beaver or otter

Stop that filthy tittering right now! Or at least save it until you read the hashtag you need to tweet.....

Kavey Eats is giving you a chance to win a rather beautiful milk chocolate otter, with a second prize of a beaver.

 
 
It's really too beautiful to eat, isn't it?
 
Enter on the competition page, by following the instructions to comment, like and tweet (with that infamous hashtag) - you can enter each way once, giving you up to three entries. The competition closes on February 14th.  

Sunday 2 February 2014

My Facebook Sharing experiment - the results are in!

Last week, I asked you for help with an experiment to help me to work out which ways of sharing a competition on Facebook are likely to actually be SEEN by the page owner wad which weren't.

Bear in mind that the results below ONLY APPLY IF YOUR PROFILE IS SET TO "PUBLIC". As I said at the start of the experiment, although wasn't 100% certain of it then, if your profile isn't completely public, Like and Share competitions are not for you.

I have deliberated, cogitated and digested and here are the results:

1. I asked you to share publicly on your own timeline. This works a treat - I can see every share.

2. I asked you to share publicly on a friend's timeline. This too works pretty well - every share but one (and Facebook wouldn't tell me which one) showed up, whether you had shared with my personal Facebook account or somebody else,. It's worth bearing this in mind if you see a competition you know a friend would really like to enter. If they aren't online when you share on your own timeline, it may have dropped off the bottom of the screen by the time they log in, and then they'll miss it, but sharing on their timeline means they get a notification and won't miss anything.

3. Sharing in a private message to a friend. This surprised me - although 34 people said that they shared by using the share button, as page owner I could only see ONE of them. Only use this option for telling a friend about a competition you don't actually want to enter yourself!

4. Sharing on your own timeline but just with friends rather than publicly. Again, I saw every single share, whether or not you are a friend of my personal account.

5. Sharing on your own timeline but set to "only me". There were 28 clicks on the share button, but I could only see 20 of the people who had shared. I presume the other 8 had profiles that were not fully public. If you are worried about annoying non comping friends and family, sharing with "only me" with your profile fully public could be the way forward. Check, though, whether the promoter has specified that your share should be public. They sometimes do - after all, the whole point of them running a competition is to get some advertising!

6. Sharing by tagging a friend in a comment. There were 66 comments - and of those I could only see the most recent 25.  And I was only shown 5 shares. So this is definitely NOT a way to enter a Like and Share comp, your sharing MUST involve the share button in one of the ways listed above. If the page owner asks you to tag people in a comment in order to enter, remember that unless they are monitor comments as they go along, they may only see the last handful of entries before the competition closes.

Don't forget that none of this applies when you are entering through an app - if you are doing it that way, the app will be programmed to collect any shares that it asks for, so just go ahead and follow the instructions. But if you DO want to enter Like and Share competitions, this research might help you to make your entries more effective.

Good luck - and  if you've seen this post linked from the Grapevine Facebook page, how about giving it a Like and Share???

Win "Stanley Street Sweeper" with Chez Maximka

Stanley Street Sweeper is a fun toy that all youngsters will love, and Chez Maximka is giving you a chance to win one. Just pop over to the competition page and use the Rafflecopter form to submit your entry. The competition closes at midnight on February 28th (ie when it changes to March 1st).