160 Best Prize Ideas to Give Away in Online Contests & Competitions

We all know that the most successful social media contests are ones that offer $25,000 round-the-world vacations for the whole family.

The thing is, that’s not possible for most businesses.

This article will give you 160 contest prize ideas, all of which are valued at under $500.

We’ve structured these competition ideas based on 10 common industries. Simply click on your business type within the table of contents below to find contest prize ideas related specifically to you.

Table of Contents:

• Women’s Fashion
• General Ecommerce
• Men’s Fashion
• Fitness
• Photography
• B2B
• Hospitality/Spa
• Restaurant
• Auto
• Dental/Cosmetic Medical
• Real Estate
• Bloggers
• Infants and Kids
• Seasonal

Contest Prize Ideas for the Women’s Fashion Industry

Online contests are a perfect marketing strategy for any business within the women’s fashion industry.

Remember when targeting people with an online contest within the women’s fashion industry that often your target market will be the partners or family of your official target market. This is especially true for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.

Contest Prize Ideas:

1. Mother’s Day outfit giveaway
2. “You deserve it!” wardrobe-changing giftcard
3. 50% off any purchase (sales make great contests too!)
4. “Night-on-the-town” outfit giftcard
5. Partner with a hair/makeup/spa in your area and give away a makeover
6. New Years fitness product giveaway
7. “Sleepy Sunday” comfortable clothing giveaway
8. Partner with a yoga studio and give away yoga gear and 10 free classes
9. “Girls trip” – getaway for 4 with product prize package
10. Summer beach day outfit giveaway (with sunscreen, umbrella and beach mat)

Women’s Fashion Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Ecommerce Industry

Online shoppers are the #1 target market for online contests. They’re tech-savvy, heavy social-media users who are comfortable with sharing your contest with friends.

As a result, my #1 recommendation for an eCommerce contest is a bonus entry campaign, in which your winner is decided randomly, but entrants can gain additional entries in return for sharing the contest with their friends.
Check out the thumbnails below to see real-world examples of eCommerce bonus entry contests.

Contest Prize Ideas:

11. Your winter line before the holidays
12. Something patriotic around Independence Day
13. Your summer line in late Spring
14. A “his and hers” package for Valentine’s Day (or “Just for Him/Her” for Father’s/Mother’s Day)
15. A package of your products (to maximize the appeal)
16. Black Friday or Cyber Monday product giveaway
17. Summer beach day prize package
18. Partner with a brand with a similar target market give away both your products (Cross-promote to your existing contacts to trade)
19. Free shipping for a year
20. Credit for every friend referred

General Ecommerce Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Men’s Fashion Industry

If you’re marketing within the men’s fashion industry, remember that your target market is often the partners of men – not men themselves.

With this in mind, focus on visual contests (and visual social media platforms to share). Studies show that women are more active on visual social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc) than men. As a result, consider photo contests, hashtag contests, referral contests, etc, for your next Valentine’s Day or Father’s Day contest.

Contest Prize Ideas:

21. Father’s Day product giveaway
22. Night out to a concert alongside your product
23. Football jersey alongside your product giveaway
24. BBQ/summer party outfit
25. Accessories (watch, hat, belt, wallet, etc) to finish an outfit
26. Product package: main item + accessories
27. Groomsman package (3 or 4 groomsman gifts)
28. Partner with a barbershop in your area and give a “manly makeover”
29. “Guys trip” getaway with product prize package
30. “Lazy Sunday” product prize package

Men’s Fashion Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Fitness Industry

We run more contests for the fitness industry than any other industry (except, perhaps, eCommerce). The industry just lends itself to contests: it’s a visual industry with the possibility of easy and clearly valuable prizes.

Plus, the value of a lead is high and follow-up campaigns are often successful.

And, better yet, whenever you give away a free month’s subscription, you quickly make your money back when people continue with your gym (as opposed to the single-purchase structure of many other business types).

I can’t recommend contests enough for the fitness industry.

Contest prize ideas:

31. 6 months free membership
32. Free personal training
33. Free yoga classes with free mat
34. “Spin with the girls!” – Give away a spin class for 4
35. $50 gift card to the products you sell at your fitness center
36. Free kid’s martial arts classes
37. Free workout plan
38. Free healthy eating plan
39. Free 12-month family workout package
40. Free membership – Only give a complete free membership if you’re running a bonus entry/referral contest as you’ll need to get a lot of prospective members to make your prize worth it.

Fitness Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for Photography

Photographers have, for a long time, relied on word-of-mouth and references to find success.

Online contests for photographers, though, can be the equivalent of word-of-mouth x 100.

A bonus entry contest, where you give entrants additional chances to win when they share and refer their network, is a fantastic way for your business to get dozens of new prospective customers.

Think about it, if you’re targeting people for an engagement shoot, the majority of their friends will be around the same age – perfect for a follow-up email that prompts their own shoot down the line.

Contest prize ideas:

• A wedding package (use a referral contest for this to be sure you get the details of your winner’s soon-to-be-married friends!)
• A family photo shoot built around seasonality
• Free photo editing with a paid shoot
• A sexy/boudoir shoot around Valentine’s Day
• A photoshoot for Friend’s Day (with costumes)
• Free framing of photos from a paid photo shoot
• Free engagement shoot with every wedding package
• Pregnancy/new baby photo shoot
• “Girls weekend” with professional photo shoot (partner with a hotel)
• Partner with a hairdresser or makeup artist to give away a photo shoot

Photography Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for B2B

51. 3-months free software subscription
52. Partner with another platform/business to give away a year subscription to both (check out our walkthrough of how we’ve used partnerships)
53. Sports team sponsorship
54. A feature in your industry report/case study
55. Gift basket (great for internal contests)
56. Black Friday discount plan
57. New Year product giveaway
58. Free delivery for a year (if you’re a supplier)
59. Credit for every business referred
60. Sponsored corporate retreat

Contest Prize Ideas for the Hospitality/Spa Industry

The hospitality and spa industry has the greatest possibility of their contests going viral, as their prizes are (compared to every other industry in this article) the most valuable.

This is especially true if your hotel or spa teams up with a restaurant or other business to give away a complete weekend experience

My recommendation for the hospitality and spa industry is a straight sweepstakes (rather than one of the more complicated contest types). But remember to get your entrant’s contact information. Because your prizes are worth so much, you’ll need to convert as many of your entrants as possible to find a positive return on investment.

Top Tip: We had a very successful client use a bonus entry contest to drive reviews. To learn how it was done, book a time to chat with one of our representatives and ask them about it.

Contest prize ideas:

61. 2-Night Stay (hotel)
62. Partner with a restaurant and give a romantic weekend package (hotel)
63. Partner with a spa and give a relaxing weekend package (hotel)
64. Partner with a theme park and give a family weekend package (hotel)
65. Free upgrade to your most expensive room (hotel)
66. Free couple’s massage for Valentine’s Day (spa)
67. “She deserves it” Mother’s day spa day giveaway
68. “Girls Weekend” spa day with hotel stay and dinner
69. Single deep tissue/Swedish massage (give away one per day for a week to increase the perceived chance of winning)
70. Sports therapy session

Hospitality/Spa Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Restaurant Industry

Contests can be a powerful way to drive people to your restaurant – particularly if you’re a newer restaurant wanting to generate a bit of buzz.

Restaurants are also a great partner for hotels, spas and theme parks in your area. If you’re struggling for ideas beyond “win a free meal,” reach out to a hotel nearby and pitch the idea of a “weekend getaway” package where they give away a two-night stay and you provide a romantic dinner. This will increase the value of your prize considerably and (therefore) the popularity of your contest.

Contest prize ideas:

71. Romantic dinner for two (“Get away from the kids”)
72. Dinner for 4 – Name our newest dessert
73. Dinner for 4 – Submit your child’s menu design
74. “Dinner and a Movie” with tickets
75. “Just Desserts” 6 vouchers for summer desserts
76. Partner with a hotel and give away a romantic weekend trip
77. A Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings
78. A Superbowl party pack
79. A $20 gift card
80. Free dessert & bottle of wine with dinner

Restaurant Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Auto industry

You might be surprised to hear that contests can work really well for the auto industry. But there’s a single reason: Once you get a customer in, they’ll keep coming back. Sometimes for years.

As a result, giving away something for free often results in a positive return on your investment within two visits.

And you always have the possibility of an upsell.

Contest prize ideas:

81. Vehicle winterizing
82. 1 year free car care
83. Oil changes
84. Complete vehicle detailing
85. Summer vehicle checkup (before roadtrip season)
86. Vehicle rental
87. Windshield repair
88. “Scrapes and Bumps” removal
89. Free tire rotation/change
90. New set of tires

Auto Industry Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Dental/Cosmetic Medical Industry

One of the best things about online contests for the dental and cosmetic medical industry is that your services are high-value, and you have a high loyalty/return rate for your customers.

All you need to do is find a simple contest prize and you become your winner’s (and all your entrants, if you give a 50% discount to entrants in a follow-up email) go-to service provider.

Contest prize ideas:

91. Free consultation
92. Valentine’s Day
93. Pre-wedding treatment
94. Back-to-school dental care
95. “Golden Years” cosmetic treatment
96. Teeth whitening
97. 50% off treatment of your choice (up to a certain $ value)
98. Cash toward any treatment
99. A new smile
100. $500 towards botox
101. Tooth implants

Dental/Cosmetic Medical Contest Examples from Wishpond:

×

Contest Prize Ideas for the Real Estate Industry

What’s great about online contests for the Real Estate industry is that people love to spruce up their homes and make them their own. This means that home decor prizes are a sure bet to get people excited about your online contest.

Contest prize ideas:

102. Kitchen appliances from top brands

103. Home cleaning for a year

104. A complete home makeover

105. A professional organizing service

106. Entertainment packages featuring TVs & stereos

107. “Man Cave” makeover

Contest Prize Ideas for Bloggers

As a blogger, running a contest is a great way to build your email list and generate traffic to your content. But to get the most out of your contest, you need to choose the right prize. In this case, prizes based on your offerings are a sure bet.

Contest prize ideas:

108. Coaching sessions with you

109. Your digital products like ebooks, templates, and PDFs

110. Access to your courses

111. Access to your webinars

112. 1-year Free Membership to your gated content

Pet Care Prize Ideas

People love their pets. They’re basically like family, This means that if you’re in the pet care industry and run a contest, you’ll not only gain a lot of attention but also increase your sales.

The best prizes for the pet care industry are ones owners can use to spoil their pets. If your prize is something for both the owners and the pets, even better!

Contest prize ideas:

113. New pet starter kit

114. Training classes

115. Pet products

116. Grooming sessions

117. Pet food for a year

Prize Ideas for Infants and Kids

If your target audience is families with kids, then offering prizes that make life at home a little easier is a good idea. And since having kids is expensive, running contests that reduce these expenses are extremely popular among parents.

If you’re looking to generate more leads in this demographic, you can’t go wrong with the following giveaway prize ideas:

Contest prize ideas:

118. Diapers for a year

119. New baby starter kit

120. Baby proofing kit

121. Back-to-school collection

122. Toy shopping spree

123. Family-friendly vacation

Seasonal Prize Ideas

Running giveaways in line with holidays and seasons is a great way to take the excitement around them and leverage it for your campaigns. Choosing your giveaway prizes is pretty easy since most holidays and seasons already have set themes you can use to guide your prize ideas.

Seasonal Prize Ideas:

Build excitement for your campaigns by aligning them to the changing seasons. Check out the following prize ideas:

124. Spring Wardrobe Update

125. Summer Vacation

126. Family activities

127. Summer supplies

128. Back-to-School supplies

129. Tailgating gear

130. Certificate for a Leaf Raking Service

130. Cold weather care package

131. Winter gear

132. Ski and snow trips

133. Christmas Shopping Spree

134. Christmas Decorations & Supplies

Valentine’s Day Prize Ideas:

A popular holiday with couples, the best prizes for Valentine’s day involve spoiling the winners. Here are some great prize ideas:

135. Dinner For Two

136. Flower Bouquet

137. Treat and Chocolate Basket

138. Selection of Jewelry

139. Spa Day Certificate

Easter Prize Ideas:

Easter time sees families come together and your prizes should encourage this even more. Try out these prize ideas:

140. Basket of Easter Chocolates

141. Tickets to an Easter Egg Hunt

142. Easter Arts And Toys Basket for Kids

4th ofJuly Prize Ideas:

Tap into fun around this patriotic holiday and offer prizes that lean into this spirit. Some prize ideas include:

143. Top of the line barbeque

144. Patriotic outfits and merchandise

145. Grilling supplies package

146. Beach day package

Halloween Prize Ideas:

Rewarding winners of your Halloween contest with amazing treats is the perfect way to ensure an engaging campaign. Check out these prize ideas:

147. Basket of Halloween Candy

148. Tickets to a Halloween Party

149. Collection of scary movies

Thanksgiving Prize Ideas:

A great Thanksgiving prize takes the stress out this fall holiday and is a great way to say thank you to your customers. Here are some prize ideas:

150. Fully-Catered Turkey Dinner

151. Thanksgiving Decor

152. Kitchen equipment

153. Free shopping spree at a Grocery store

Christmas Prize Ideas:

Christmas is the most popular time for giveaways. Running your contest during this season will ensure you’ll have plenty of excited entrants looking to win your prizes. Here are some ideas:

154. Christmas Tree and Ornaments

155. Gift Certificate to a mall

156. Christmas light installation

157. Tickets to holiday events

New Year’s Eve Prize Ideas:

New Year’s Eve is great holiday because everyone is in the mood to party and looking to start things fresh. This makes contests that encourage this popular. Some great prizes include:

158. Tickets to a New Year’s Eve Party

159. “New Year, New You” make-over package

160. Champagne Gift Basket

Conclusion

There you have it, 160 contest prize ideas to try out for your next contest.

Out of these 160 ideas, I hope there’s something to give your contest a spark.

Ready to get started? Wishpond’s contest tools make it easy to create bonus entry contests, sweepstakes, photo contests, vote contests, Instagram hashtag contests & more.

Related Reading:

• 7 Free Templates for your Next Contest or Giveaway
• 5 Best Ways to Announce & Notify Contest Winners (With Examples)
• Social Media Contests: 50 Ideas, Tips, and Examples
• 50 Fun Competition Ideas You Can Use in 2022
• 6 Best Contest Emails & What You Can Learn From Them
• 7 Ways to Choose a Contest Winner
• Social Media Contest Rules: Free Template and Beginner’s Guide
• Sweepstakes Rules: Free Template & Beginner’s Guide
• What Makes a Successful Contest?

wishpond