Step-by-step instructions
Prepare the eligible entry list.
Use one line per person when each person may win only once and everyone should have the same chance. Check eligibility before entering names. The tool draws from your list; it does not check entries against giveaway rules.
Make each participant identifiable.
Use a surname, initial, or participant ID to distinguish people with the same name. Remove duplicates eliminates identical entry text, so two different people both labeled “Alex” would otherwise become one entry.
Set the number of winners.
Enter the required count in How many?. For three prizes awarded to three people, choose 3. The count must not exceed the number of eligible entries and can be no more than 100 in one batch.
Draw the winners together.
Select Pick names once. Each selected entry appears at most once in that result. Keep the result order if the first position receives the first prize, and agree on that prize order before generating.
Save the result before leaving.
Use Copy or Download to keep your winners. A second generation is a new draw from the original input, so previous winners could appear again unless you first remove them from that input.
Example: choosing three winners from 12 entries
Imagine an office raffle with 12 eligible participants and three prizes. Enter all 12 people once and set How many? to 3. One possible output is:
- Morgan Lee — first prize
- Riley Chen — second prize
- Alex Carter — third prize
The names in your result will vary. In this example, Morgan cannot also appear as the second or third winner because the picker selects entries without replacement within the batch. You do not need to draw one person, delete their name, and repeat the process three times.
With 12 unique entries and three winners, each participant has a 3-in-12, or 25%, chance of appearing somewhere in the selected group. If prizes follow result order, each participant has a 1-in-12 chance of receiving the first position. Those are different questions: winning any prize versus winning a particular prize.
The displayed numbering describes the draw order. It does not assign prize names automatically; the labels above illustrate a prize order you would agree on beforehand.
Prevent duplicate winners by checking people, not just text
The picker sees entries, not identities. That makes your input list the most important part of avoiding repeat winners. A different spelling does not become the same person automatically.
| Input problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Alex Carter appears twice identically | Enable Remove duplicates or delete the extra entry. |
| Alex Carter also appears as Alex C. | Combine the records manually before drawing. |
| Two different people are named Alex Carter | Use distinct participant IDs, such as P014 and P027. |
| Some entries contain only spaces | Blank lines are ignored; verify the final item count. |
Duplicate removal matches the trimmed text and is case-sensitive. “Morgan Lee” and “morgan lee” remain separate entries. Standardize labels and inspect the list rather than relying only on the checkbox.
If your input contains private contact details, you can use participant IDs instead. Keep the ID-to-person mapping in your own records and paste only the identifiers needed for the draw.
Draw alternates without accidentally repeating a winner
If you need three winners and two alternates, one approach is to select five names in the same batch. Announce in advance that positions one through three are winners and positions four and five are alternates, in that order. All five entries will be different.
Save the full result even if you initially publish only the winners. If a replacement becomes necessary under your stated rules, use the first eligible alternate rather than starting an unrelated new draw.
If you have already drawn the winners and still need alternates, remove every winning entry from the input before generating again. The tool does not remember previous batches or automatically exclude earlier winners. Clicking Pick names again with the original list can select those same names.
What if each person has more than one raffle ticket?
A no-repeat entry draw is not always a no-repeat person draw. If one person has five ticket numbers in the list, selecting different tickets can still select that person several times. The correct setup depends on what your draw is supposed to reward.
For equal chances and one prize per person, use one unique person or ID per line. For a ticket-number draw where the same buyer may win more than once, different ticket IDs are valid entries, and the Random Number Generator can work when every number in a specified range is eligible.
If extra tickets should increase a person’s chance, the Weighted Random Picker can draw one winner from people assigned positive entry weights. It does not automatically run a series of weighted draws with each winner removed. Do not describe an unweighted name draw as preserving ticket-based odds.
Keep a usable record of the draw
Before generating, settle the eligible list, number of prizes, prize order, and replacement process. Then save the output alongside a copy of the entry list used. A screen recording can show the input and draw together if you want participants to see the process.
The picker uses a browser-based shuffle and takes the requested number of entries from the shuffled list. It does not import social-media comments, verify eligibility, issue winner notifications, or provide a certified audit trail. Use a process appropriate to your event rather than claiming the tool performs those checks.
Names and results stay in the current page’s memory. Copy or download the result before refreshing, navigating away, or running another draw.
Frequently asked questions
Can the same name win twice in one draw?
The same input entry is selected at most once in a batch. A person can still appear twice if they have multiple entries under different labels. Use one unique entry per person and review duplicates when each person may win only once.
Does the picker remember previous raffle winners?
No. Each generation starts from the current input list. Select all winners in one batch, or manually remove previous winners before another draw.
How do I pick winners and backup winners together?
Set the count to the total number of winners plus backups. Decide beforehand which positions are winners and which are alternates, then save the complete ordered result.
How many winners can I select at once?
You can select up to 100 entries in a single batch, provided your eligible list contains at least that many entries. The input list can contain up to 10,000 entries.