To pick a YouTube giveaway winner, collect every comment from the giveaway video, remove duplicates and ineligible entries, then draw at random and record the result. Before you start, check that the contest itself follows YouTube’s contest policies: it must be free to enter, follow local law, and have official rules that include specific statements about YouTube.
Key points
- You are responsible for your contest. YouTube doesn’t run it or pick winners.
- Contests must be free to enter and follow the law where you run them.
- Your official rules must link YouTube’s Community Guidelines, state that YouTube isn’t a sponsor, release YouTube from liability and include a privacy notice.
- Don’t reward people for manipulating views, likes or other metrics, and don’t run contests through YouTube ad units.
- A random picker such as our YouTube comment picker does the draw. Checking eligibility is still up to you.
What are YouTube’s rules for giveaways and contests?
YouTube’s Contest Policies cover any contest or giveaway you run on YouTube. The main requirements:
- You are solely responsible for the contest, including following all applicable laws.
- It must be free to enter. No purchase or payment can be required.
- You must provide official rules that link to YouTube’s Community Guidelines, say clearly that YouTube isn’t a sponsor, release YouTube from liability, and include a privacy notice explaining how entrants’ data is handled.
- The contest must not encourage anything against the Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, such as metric manipulation.
- You can’t run a contest through YouTube advertising.
Put a short version of the rules in the video description and link to the full official rules. YouTube’s policy page explains what has to be included.
Can I require likes or subscribes to enter?
Be careful. YouTube’s fake engagement policy allows you to encourage viewers to subscribe, like, comment or share. However, it doesn’t allow content that exists solely to incentivize engagement, or “sub4sub” deals. The contest policy also prohibits contests that manipulate metrics. The safest entry method is a genuine comment, such as an answer to a question, rather than “like, subscribe and comment 10 times”.
How do I pick a random winner from YouTube comments?
On desktop
- After the deadline, open the video and sort comments by Newest first so you can check timing.
- Collect commenter names into one list. On busy videos, use a comment export you trust, or YouTube Studio’s Comments page for your own channel.
- Remove duplicates (if you allow one entry per person), your own and team accounts, and entries after the deadline.
- Paste the list into our YouTube giveaway picker, set the number of winners and draw.
- Record the draw with a screen recording or screenshots.
On mobile
- Open the video in the YouTube app and tap the comments panel.
- For your own videos, the YouTube Studio app’s Comments section makes reviewing easier.
- Copy names into a notes app, then paste them into the picker in your mobile browser.
- Screenshot the result.
How do I verify the winner?
Check the winning comment against your rules before announcing:
- Posted before the deadline, on the right video.
- From a real channel that isn’t a spam or newly created throwaway account.
- Meets your age and country rules.
- Not a duplicate of another entry by the same person, if you allow only one.
Then reply to the winning comment or pin a comment asking the winner to contact you through a channel you control. Never ask winners to pay a fee. Warn viewers that scammers impersonate creators in replies, and that you won’t message them first from a different account.
What should my YouTube contest rules say?
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Your name or business, and that YouTube isn’t a sponsor |
| Eligibility | Age, countries, exclusions |
| Entry | How to enter for free, and the entry limit |
| Dates | Start and end with time zone |
| Prize | Description and approximate value |
| Selection | Random draw from eligible entries, and when |
| Release | Entrants release YouTube from liability |
| Privacy | How you collect and use entrants’ data |
| Community Guidelines | Link to YouTube’s Community Guidelines |
Running the same giveaway on Instagram? See how to pick an Instagram giveaway winner, which covers Instagram’s rules.
Want more entries next time? Growing the channel first helps; see our YouTube subscribers packages.
Sources
FAQ
Does YouTube pick giveaway winners?
No. The creator running the contest is responsible for it, including picking winners. You can draw by hand or with a random comment picker.
Do I need official rules for a YouTube giveaway?
Yes. YouTube’s Contest Policies require official rules that link the Community Guidelines, say YouTube isn’t a sponsor, release YouTube from liability and include a privacy notice.
Can a YouTube giveaway require a purchase?
No. YouTube requires contests to be free to enter.
Can I ask people to subscribe to enter?
YouTube lets you encourage subscribing, but it prohibits content that exists only to incentivize engagement, and contests that manipulate metrics. A genuine comment is the safer entry method.
How do I prove the draw was random?
Use one complete list of eligible comments, draw with a random tool, and keep a recording or screenshots of the draw.