Congratulations You Are a Winner
Congratulations! You have won a prize! But now what!? Winning a prize is so exciting, but if it's your first time winning you may be wondering what happens next!
Here is exactly what you can expect when winning a prize.
1) Finding Out You're a Winner
The first thing to happen is finding out you are a winner. You will either get an email congratulating you on your win, or a social media notification letting you know you won. These are important! Make sure to respond right away to there. Many winner emails come with a time restriction that isn't very long.
Read the email in full and respond right away to claim your prize.
2) Claiming Your Prize
In Canada winning a prize in a contest means you have to answer a math question to claim your prize and complete some forms. Now some contests will bypass the forms and just ask that you respond to the email with the answer to the math question and your mailing information. See what information is being asked of you and respond as soon as you get your email. No you don't need a printer to print out claim forms. See how to claim a prize with no printer.
3) Document Your Win
Long time contesters like myself use different tools to track what we win. It makes it easier to track down a prize and know how long it's been since you won. It is also tons of fun to sit down at the end of the year and look back at the fun prizes you won. Trust me there are always some you totally forget about 12 months later.
I personally use a spreadsheet. I have a super simple spreadsheet you can copy and make your own. Every prize I win I add it to my sheet and the day that I won it. This way if a substantial amount of time has gone by, I know it's time to track down my prize.
4) Waiting for Your Prize
Waiting for a prize you are excited about can be super hard. Patience is a huge part of entering contests, and prize arrivals will test yours for sure.
Prizes can take anywhere from 2 weeks up to 3-4 months to arrive. After 8 weeks I reach out to the contest sponsor if I haven't received my prize. Not to complain but to remind them I am here and I am so excited to get my prize.
It's very rare that a prize doesn't arrive. But things happen and the odd prize may get lost on its way to you.
5) Show Appreciation
Once you get your prize don't forget to show your appreciation. A simple thank you on social media by tagging them in a picture of your prize goes a long way. If you aren't into social media posts, a quick email to them thanking them for your prize can only bring good karma your way for your next contest win.
Won a prize and it never arrived? 👉How to chase down a missing prize.
Don't forget to check out my 💡contest entering tips to boost your chances of winning!
