How to Run a Contest or Competition on UniLink (Entries, Voting, and Prize Delivery)

Run a complete competition — submission intake, public voting, winner announcement, and prize delivery — from a single UniLink page, with no extra software required.

Running a contest online usually means stitching together a Google Form for submissions, a separate voting tool, a manual email blast for the winner announcement, and a third-party platform for delivering prizes. Each handoff is a place where participants drop off and where your engagement data fragments. UniLink lets you run the full contest lifecycle — entry, display, vote, announce, and deliver — from a single page that you can share in one link.

This guide covers how to build that page whether you're running a photography competition, a writing contest, a design challenge, a community award, or a giveaway with paid entry. The structure is the same regardless of the medium.

What a Contest Page Does

A contest page on UniLink is a dynamic page that changes function over time: before the deadline it collects entries, during the voting window it displays them and collects votes, after the winner is announced it becomes a permanent showcase and prize delivery mechanism. All of this happens on the same URL, which means all the traffic, social shares, and links you've accumulated continue pointing to the right place throughout the competition.

The Form block handles submissions with file upload support — photos, PDFs, documents, or any file type you specify. The Countdown block shows a live timer that creates urgency around your submission deadline or voting close date. The Gallery displays submitted entries publicly so participants see their work featured, which creates social sharing incentive. A second Form block collects votes with a structure that prevents duplicate submissions. The Shop block enables paid entry fees if your contest requires them, and a digital product in the Shop delivers the prize to the winner automatically after purchase or manual assignment.

How to Get Started

1. Define your contest rules before building — write out: eligible participants, submission requirements (file types, dimensions, word count), judging criteria (public vote vs. panel vs. combined), prize description, key dates (open, deadline, voting period, winner announcement). You'll need these for the Form block instructions and email communications.
2. Create your UniLink contest page — sign up or log in at unil.ink/signup. Create a new page with a URL that describes the contest: yourname/photo-contest-2025 or yourname/design-challenge. This URL will be shared everywhere, so make it memorable and specific to this contest.
3. Add a header Text block — write a compelling contest headline, a 2–3 sentence description of what participants can win, and a brief overview of how it works. Keep this section scannable. Participants need to understand the premise in 15 seconds or they'll leave before submitting.
4. Add the Countdown block — set the countdown target to your submission deadline date and time (with time zone). Label it "Submissions close in:" This creates visible urgency that drives late-stage entries from people who saw the contest but hadn't acted yet.
5. Add the Form block for submissions — include fields for: participant name, email, social handle (optional), a text field for entry title or description, and a file upload field. Set accepted file types to match your submission requirements. Enable email confirmation so participants know their entry was received.
6. Add the Shop block for paid entries (if applicable) — if your contest charges an entry fee, create a product called "Contest Entry" at your fee price. After purchase, the buyer receives a confirmation with the submission form link. This two-step process keeps your submission list clean (only paid entries can submit).
7. Publish the page and promote it — share the link across all your channels. Pin it in your Discord, post to your social profiles, and send it to your email list. The single URL handles everything from this point forward.

How to Use It

1. Review and approve submissions as they come in — submissions appear in your Dashboard → Forms → Responses. Review each entry against your rules. For file submissions, download and review the uploaded files. Mark ineligible entries so you don't accidentally include them in the Gallery.
2. Build the Gallery of approved entries — after your submission deadline closes, add a Gallery block below the Countdown. Upload the submitted files (or representative images for non-visual submissions). Add each entry's title and creator name as the caption. The Gallery gives participants the satisfaction of seeing their work published and motivates them to share the page to get votes.
3. Switch the Countdown to the voting deadline — update the Countdown block to count down to voting close rather than submission close. This signals to visitors that the page is now in voting mode without requiring any layout change.
4. Add the voting Form block — below the Gallery, add a second Form with fields for: voter name, email, and a dropdown or radio button for their chosen entry. Set the form to one submission per email address to prevent ballot stuffing. Enable an "I confirm I am a real person" checkbox as an additional soft filter.
5. Announce the winner publicly on the page — once voting closes, tally results and update the page. Add a Text block at the top with the winner announcement, the winning entry highlighted, and a congratulations message. This turns the page into a permanent record of the contest that participants and future visitors can reference.
6. Deliver the prize via digital product in the Shop — if the prize is digital (a gift card code, a software license, a downloadable asset pack, a credit), create a free or pre-paid Shop product and issue it to the winner. For physical prizes, collect the winner's shipping details via a private follow-up form. For monetary prizes, use your connected Stripe account to send a payout.
7. Send the winner announcement via email — use your email integration to send an announcement to everyone who submitted or voted. Include the winner's name, their entry, and a note about future contests. This list is highly engaged and worth maintaining for your next event.

Key Settings Explained

How to Get the Most Out of It

The Gallery phase of your contest is your highest-traffic moment because every participant has strong personal motivation to share the page — their work is featured there and public votes determine the winner. Design this phase intentionally. Make the Gallery the most prominent element on the page during the voting window. Ensure every entry caption includes the creator's social handle so voters can follow their favorite entrant. Add a prominent "Vote Now" call to action above the Gallery, not just a form buried at the bottom.

Paid entry fees change the contest economics significantly. Even a $5 entry fee on a well-promoted contest can cover prize costs, making the event effectively self-funding. More importantly, paid entries attract more serious participants who are invested in winning, which raises the overall quality of submissions. Frame the fee as a contribution toward the prize pool for extra credibility and motivation to enter.

The submission form is also a list-building opportunity. Every participant provides their email address, and this is a highly qualified audience: people interested enough in your niche to compete in a contest you organized. Ensure your Form block is connected to your email provider. Segment these subscribers as "contest entrants" and send them targeted communications about future events, relevant content, and offers. This list often has higher open rates than your general newsletter list.

Keep the contest page live after the winner is announced. It becomes social proof of your community's activity and the quality of work in your space. Future potential entrants researching whether to participate in your next contest will check past contests to evaluate legitimacy and prize fulfillment. A well-maintained contest archive builds trust with each new event you run.

Troubleshooting Common Issues