YouTube giveaway rules and how to pick a winner
YouTube is the only major platform that spells out what a giveaway's Official Rules must contain. Its contest policies are short and specific, and most YouTube giveaways still skip half of them. This guide lists every requirement, gives you an Official Rules template that covers them, and shows how to draw the winner from your comments.
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Key takeaways
- YouTube's contest policies apply to every contest run on YouTube or using YouTube, and they make the creator solely responsible for the contest.
- A YouTube giveaway must be free to enter, must comply with the law, and cannot be run through ad units.
- Every YouTube contest needs Official Rules that link the YouTube Community Guidelines, say non-compliant entries are disqualified, include the legally required disclosures and include a privacy notice.
- The Official Rules must state that YouTube is not a sponsor and require entrants to release YouTube from any liability related to the contest.
- YouTube does not show third-party tools who is subscribed, so a fair way to limit entries to people who watched is a keyword from the video that entrants include in their comment.
- Picking the winner now? Use the YouTube comment picker to draw from a public video's or Short's comments with no login.
Draw the winner here
What are YouTube's rules for giveaways?
They are in YouTube's contest policies. All contests run on YouTube or that use YouTube are covered, and YouTube does not allow contests to be run through ad units.
| Requirement | What it means for your giveaway |
|---|---|
| You are solely responsible for your contest | YouTube does not run, check or mediate it |
| Must comply with all relevant laws | Federal, state and local law where you and your entrants are |
| Must be free of charge to enter | No purchase, membership or paid action to enter |
| No infringement of third-party rights | Do not ask entrants to use music or footage they do not own |
| Cannot take ownership of entries | You cannot ask entrants to give you all rights to their entry |
| No metric manipulation | Do not misrepresent genuine viewer engagement |
| No association with YouTube without written consent | Do not imply YouTube backs the giveaway |
| Official Rules | Link the Community Guidelines, say non-compliant entries are disqualified, include all legal disclosures |
| Privacy notice | A legally compliant privacy notice inside the Official Rules |
| YouTube is not a sponsor | Say so, and require entrants to release YouTube from liability |
- YouTube Help: YouTube contest policies"All contests run on YouTube or that use YouTube are subject to the below rules."
YouTube giveaway Official Rules template
A starting point that covers each item YouTube asks for. It is not legal advice, and the legally required disclosures depend on where you and your entrants live. Put the full rules in the description or on a linked page, and mention them in the video.
OFFICIAL RULES: [Giveaway name] 1. Sponsor. This giveaway is run by [your name or company], [contact email]. YouTube is not a sponsor of this giveaway and is not associated with it. 2. Free entry. No purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win. 3. Eligibility. Open to residents of [countries], aged [age]+. 4. How to enter. Leave one comment on [video link] that includes the word [keyword] between [start date and time] and [end date and time, time zone]. One entry per account. 5. Disqualification. Entries must follow the YouTube Community Guidelines (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9288567). Entries that do not comply will be disqualified. 6. Winner selection. [Number] winner(s) and [number] backup(s) will be drawn at random from eligible comments within [number] days of closing, using a cryptographic random draw. 7. Prize. [Prize description and approximate value]. No cash alternative. 8. Notification. The winner will be contacted by [method] from [your channel or email] and has [number] days to reply, after which a backup is contacted. 9. Privacy. We use entrants' public usernames only to run this giveaway and contact the winner. [Your privacy notice or link.] 10. Release. By entering, entrants release YouTube from any liability related to this giveaway.
Can you require a subscribe or a like to enter?
YouTube's contest policies do not list subscribing or liking as banned, but they do prohibit manipulating metrics to misrepresent genuine viewer engagement, and no third-party tool can check either for every entrant: YouTube does not publicly show whether a commenter is subscribed.
The verifiable alternative is a keyword. Mention a word in the video and ask entrants to include it in their comment. It proves they watched, and a comment picker's keyword rule can filter on it.
How do you pick a winner from YouTube comments?
It works the same for regular videos and Shorts. Live chat messages are not comments, so for a livestream giveaway, draw from the published video's comments.
- Wait until the closing time in your Official Rules.
- Copy the video or Short link.
- Paste it into the YouTube comment picker and confirm the preview.
- Turn on your keyword rule, one entry per account, and exclude past winners if your rules say so.
- Set the number of winners to include your backups, start a screen recording and draw.
- Reply to the winner's comment and contact them as your rules say.
- Show the recording in a Short, a Community post or your next video.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are giveaways allowed on YouTube?
Yes, under YouTube's contest policies. The contest must be free to enter, comply with the law, have Official Rules with the required content, state that YouTube is not a sponsor and require entrants to release YouTube from liability. YouTube does not allow contests to be run through ad units.
Do I need Official Rules for a YouTube giveaway?
Yes. YouTube requires Official Rules that link the YouTube Community Guidelines, say entries that do not comply are disqualified, include every legally required disclosure, include a privacy notice, and state that YouTube is not a sponsor.
Can I make a YouTube giveaway subscribers only?
Not in a way anyone can verify. YouTube does not publicly show whether a commenter is subscribed, so no third-party picker can check it. Ask entrants to include a keyword from your video in their comment instead, and filter on that.
How do I pick a random YouTube comment for free?
Paste the video or Short link into a free YouTube comment picker such as freecommentpicker.com/youtube. It reads public comments without a login, applies keyword and one-entry-per-account rules, and draws the winner with a cryptographically secure random generator in your browser.
Can I pick a winner from YouTube live chat?
Live chat is separate from comments, and this site's picker reads comments. For a livestream giveaway, ask viewers to comment on the published video and draw from those comments.