How We Verify Giveaways
Every listing here has passed a fixed set of automatic checks before it went live. This page spells out each one, where it stops, and what you still need to check yourself.
Why This Page Exists
GiveawayShark does not run giveaways. We collect promotions that companies run on their own websites, filter them, and list the ones that survive. That means the honest answer to "is this giveaway real?" is always split in two: part of it is something we can measure before a listing goes live, and part of it is something only the sponsor and its official rules can answer.
Below are the rules our intake program actually applies — each one is a check that rejects a listing outright, not a guideline. After that comes a list of things we do not check, so you know exactly where our filtering ends and your own judgment has to take over.
Check 1: The Link Has to Reach the Sponsor
Most giveaway lists send you to another list. Ours tries hard not to. When we find a promotion on a roundup page, the program follows it to the page where you actually enter, and that address is the one we store. A listing is rejected when:
- the link carries another web address inside it, the typical shape of a redirect or a tracking hop;
- it contains affiliate or partner parameters such as click IDs or partner tags;
- it points to the official rules, privacy, FAQ or contact page instead of the entry page;
- the page has no real entry form (at least two input fields, or an embedded entry widget) and no entry instruction we could quote word for word from the page itself.
One limit, stated plainly: when the program cannot work out where the sponsor's entry page is, it can keep the address of the page where the promotion was found. That page still has to pass every other check, but in those cases the link may not be the sponsor's own site.
Check 2: The Deadline Must Be on the Sponsor's Page
An entry deadline is only useful if it is true. Our program reads the deadline, then searches the sponsor's page for that exact date. If the full date is there, we show it. If only the month and day appear and we had to add the year, the listing says "estimated" next to the date. If the date cannot be found on the page at all, the giveaway is rejected — we never fill the gap with a guess.
Two more rules apply to every deadline: a date that has already passed is rejected, and so is one more than 730 days away, which almost always means a misread date.
Check 3: A Prize Value Appears Only If the Sponsor States It
A dollar figure next to a prize is a claim, so we treat it like one. The value has to appear on the sponsor's page as written. Amounts tied to a unit — "each", "per month", "per winner", "per night" — are discarded, because they describe a share, not the prize. When no amount can be confirmed, the listing simply shows no value; nothing is estimated from a product name.
Confirmed values below $50 are rejected, so the list is not filled with sticker packs and single coupons. A giveaway with no stated value is not rejected for that reason alone.
Check 4: One Named Sponsor
Each listing names the company behind it. That name has to appear on the page or in its title; if it does not, the field is cleared, and a listing without a sponsor is rejected. A sponsor field that turns out to be a list of three or more different companies is rejected too — that is the signature of a directory page, not of a single promotion.
Check 5: No Duplicates
The same promotion often circulates under several links. Before anything is added, links are normalized and compared with the existing list. A second test catches the same promotion behind two different addresses: same sponsor, deadlines no more than one day apart, and at least one more match such as a similar title or prize list.
When a Listing Goes Live, and When It Ends
New listings can be scheduled for a later day. Until that day arrives, the listing and its own page stay hidden. If waiting would leave you fewer than two full days to enter, the listing is published right away instead.
When the deadline passes, the giveaway leaves the running lists, but its page stays online with a clear "This giveaway has ended." notice and the entry button disabled. We keep ended giveaways as an archive rather than deleting them, so a link you saved never turns into an error page.
What We Don't Check
This part matters as much as the checks above. None of the following is verified by our program, so a listing here says nothing about them:
- Purchase or fees. We do not test whether entry requires a purchase, a paid call or a subscription.
- Eligibility. Residency, state exclusions and minimum age are not checked. Many sponsors restrict entry; only their rules tell you whether you qualify.
- The official rules themselves. We do not require or read them.
- The sponsor's track record. We check that a company is named, not that it is trustworthy or that it actually awards its prizes.
- Odds and data use. We do not calculate odds or review privacy policies.
- Changes after publishing. There is no automatic re-check. A sponsor can end, extend or edit a promotion without us noticing right away.
What Consumer Agencies Say About Paying to Enter
Because we do not test for purchase requirements, the clearest rule to carry with you comes from the regulators. The Federal Trade Commission puts it directly: "It's illegal to ask you to pay or buy something to enter or to increase your odds of winning." The California Attorney General's consumer page says "Legitimate sweepstakes are free and by chance," and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service advises: "Don't pay to enter or to win."
Read the sponsor's official rules before you enter: they name the sponsor, who can enter, the deadline that actually governs, and how winners are chosen. If anyone asks you for money, a gift card or bank details to claim a prize, stop and report it to the FTC.
Giveaways That Passed These Checks
As of 10/24/2026, there are 318 giveaways open on GiveawayShark. These 12 have the highest prize value stated on the sponsor's page, and each one has a deadline we found on that page:
- DoorDash Fall Football Streaks Rewards: Win Cash
- Yesway and Allsup's Spin-to-Win Sweepstakes
- 80Eighty DCG #91 Sweepstakes: Win Custom Vehicle
- Margaritaville Vacation Club Sweepstakes: Win a Trip
- Dr. Squatch Loot Box Bundle - Win $10,000 Cash
- Dr. Squatch Million Dollar Mission: Win Cash
- MKC Ultimate Basecamp RV Giveaway - Enter Now
- Speed Society SSG60 Mystery Car Sweepstakes - Enter to Win
- M&M's Heroic Disney Cruise Sweepstakes - Win a Trip
- WTTW Be a Winner: Win a Subaru Crosstrek Sweepstakes
- Macy's Golden Confetti: Enter to Win Sweepstakes
- Jameson First Round on Us Win Sweepstakes
Frequently Asked Questions
Does GiveawayShark run or pick winners for any of these giveaways?
No. Every promotion is run by its sponsor. We have no part in the drawing, never see your entry, and cannot change a result.
Is a giveaway safe just because it is listed here?
A listing means it passed the checks on this page: a sponsor link, a deadline found on the sponsor's page, a named sponsor and no duplicate. It does not vouch for the sponsor or confirm that you are eligible.
Why does a date sometimes say "estimated"?
The sponsor's page showed the month and day but not the year, so the year was added by us. The deadline in the official rules always wins.
Why do some giveaways show no prize value?
Because the sponsor's page did not state one we could confirm. We would rather show nothing than a number we made up.
What happens to a giveaway after it ends?
It drops off the running lists, and its page stays online marked as ended, so saved links keep working.
I found a problem with a listing. What should I do?
Tell us through the contact page — a wrong deadline or a dead link is exactly the kind of report that leads to a sharper rule.