How to Remove Duplicate Giveaway Entries

Why duplicates are a big deal

In a giveaway with a few hundred entries, a handful of duplicates might seem harmless. But each duplicate gives one person an extra chance that others don't have. If the winner turns out to be someone who appeared three times, the people who entered once have a fair reason to complain. Duplicates are also the easiest thing for observers to spot. Anyone can scroll your entry list on a stream or recording and notice the same name twice. Cleaning them up before the draw is one of the simplest ways to make a giveaway fair and look fair.

Where duplicates come from

Most duplicates are innocent. People comment more than once because they're excited or because they think it improves their chances. They reply to someone else's comment and that reply gets exported as an entry. They enter through two methods, such as a comment and a form. Copying data between apps can also duplicate rows, especially when pasting from spreadsheets with hidden rows or merged cells. A smaller number of duplicates are deliberate: multiple accounts run by the same person, or bots. Each source needs a slightly different fix.

Decide your rule first

Before cleaning anything, re-read your published rules. "One entry per person" means every repeat is removed. "One entry per comment, tag a different friend in each" means repeats from the same account may be valid if each tags someone new. "Bonus entry for sharing" means some people should appear twice. Your cleaning process must match the rule you promised, not the rule you'd prefer now. If your rules were unclear, make a reasonable decision, write it down and apply it to everyone.

Exact duplicates

Exact duplicates are identical lines, such as "jamie_r" appearing twice. Paste your list into the wheel's entries box, open the "⋯" menu and choose Dedupe. Every repeated line is collapsed into one, and the entry count updates so you can see how many were removed. Note the before and after counts. They're useful for your records and for your announcement.

Near-duplicates: capitals and spaces

Many duplicates aren't identical. "Jamie_R", "jamie_r" and "jamie_r " with a trailing space look different to a computer but are clearly the same account. The Dedupe tool ignores capital letters and extra spaces when comparing, so all three become one. If you're cleaning in a spreadsheet instead, use a helper column with a formula that lowercases and trims each entry, then remove duplicates based on that column.

The @ problem

Usernames copied from different places sometimes include the @ symbol and sometimes don't. "@jamie_r" and "jamie_r" should count as the same person. The handle option in Dedupe treats them as identical. When you use the comment picker, it pulls usernames out of pasted comments and normalises them, which removes most @ inconsistencies before they reach the wheel.

Different names, same person

Some entrants use a display name in one place and a username in another, like "Jamie Rivers" in a form and "jamie_r" in comments. No tool can safely match these automatically, because two different people can share a display name. If your giveaway collects entries in more than one way, ask for the same identifier everywhere, ideally the platform username. If you spot a likely match manually, check it before removing anything. Removing a genuine entrant by mistake is worse than leaving a rare duplicate.

Multiple entries that are allowed

If your rules give extra entries, it's often cleaner to remove all duplicates first and then apply weights. Give each person a weight equal to the entries they've earned, such as 1 for entering and 1 more for sharing. The wheel shows each person's percentage chance, which you can display before spinning. This is easier to check than a list where someone appears twice for a legitimate reason and twice more by accident.

Bots and fake accounts

Giveaways attract bots, especially on public posts. Signs include accounts with no profile picture, random strings of letters as usernames, very recent creation dates, no posts and identical comment text. Your rules can exclude accounts that appear to be fake, but apply the test consistently and keep a short note of each removal and the reason. Don't remove accounts just because they're new or small. Real people create accounts to enter giveaways, too.

Ineligible entries

Duplicates are only one kind of cleaning. Also remove entries that missed the closing time, came from excluded regions, didn't follow the entry method (for example, no tagged friend when one was required), or belong to people excluded by your rules, such as staff. Do this before deduplicating so that an ineligible entry doesn't mask a valid one from the same person.

Document what you removed

Keep a simple log: total entries exported, entries removed as ineligible with reasons, duplicates removed, and the final count. Save the cleaned list. If anyone asks why their entry wasn't on the wheel, you can give a specific answer rather than a vague one. For brand campaigns, this log, the recording of the draw and the result receipt together form a complete record.

Show the final count before the draw

When you run the draw, display the cleaned list and the entry count. Say something like "We received 1,284 comments; after removing duplicates and ineligible entries, 932 people are in the draw." That one sentence shows you took the time to clean the list and makes it much harder for anyone to argue the process wasn't fair.

A worked example

Imagine a giveaway post that closes with 640 comments. Exporting them gives 640 lines. Twelve were posted after the deadline and nine came from accounts in a country your rules excluded, so you remove 21 and note why. Running the comment picker extracts usernames and strips @ symbols. Dedupe then collapses the list from 619 to 471, because many people commented several times. Your rules gave a bonus entry for sharing, and 38 people sent proof, so those 38 get weight 2. Finally, you review five accounts that look automated and remove three that clearly are, noting each one. The wheel now shows 468 entrants, and the percentage table shows who has a double chance. All of this takes about fifteen minutes and gives you a clear story to tell if anyone asks.

Preventing duplicates next time

Better rules reduce cleaning work. State clearly that multiple comments don't add extra entries unless you intend them to. Ask for one consistent identifier, ideally the platform username. If you use a form, turn on settings that limit one response per account where the platform supports it. Set an exact closing time with a time zone. The clearer the entry method, the fewer judgement calls you'll face later.

A cleaning checklist

Export every entry after the closing time. Remove late and ineligible entries, noting reasons. Normalise usernames with the comment picker or the handle option. Run Dedupe and record the before and after counts. Apply weights for any extra entries your rules allow. Review suspicious accounts consistently. Save the final list and your log. Display the count during the draw. A clean list takes a few minutes, and it's the foundation of a giveaway that everyone can trust.

Try it now

Put these ideas into practice with the Comment Picker, Giveaway Winner Picker, Transparent Giveaway Draws, or open the main spin the wheel tool.