Anyone who aspires to win may want to know more about the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the PCH Sweepstakes and more.

What is a Giveaway?

At PCH giveaways are promotions that award prizes based on chance to entrants. Each giveaway has starting and ending dates, a planned number and amount of prizes offered, a winner selection methodology, eligibility requirements, a defined distribution of entries (such as geographic distribution, specific bulletins or groups, etc.) and an estimated odds of winning for each prize offered.

What is a Giveaway Number?

PCH assigns a Giveaway Number to each giveaway to identify it and help us keep track of it. The Giveaway Number functions as a name for each giveaway.

What is an entry deadline?

An entry deadline is the date by which an entry must be received in order to be eligible to win the prize offered in the promotion.

What’s the difference between an entry deadline and a giveaway ending date?

Every entry has a unique prize number that corresponds to the entrant and the promotion from which the entry came. The entry deadline is the date by which the prize number for an entry is due. Most prize promotions last for 4-8 weeks and have an entry deadline within that timeframe. Some of our giveaways last a year or more. The giveaway end date is the last day when any entry will be accepted for the giveaway before it closes for the final drawing.

How can a giveaway promote different prizes?

At the beginning of a giveaway, we plan the amount of prizes and their value. Throughout the life of the giveaway, we may show different types of prizes that could be purchased by or funded by the dollar amount being offered. For example, a giveaway offering a $20,000 prize could be promoted as $20,000 Cash or a New Pick Up Truck ($19,999 MSRP). We keep track of what prizes were offered in each different promotion. When a winner is selected, we will offer the prize promoted to the winning entry, as set forth in the Official Rules.

What is the difference between a Prize Number and a Giveaway Number?

A prize number is a 12-digit number assigned to an entrant and a prize promotion. A giveaway number identifies the prize promotional pool into which entries will be submitted. Throughout the life of a giveaway, you may submit many entries, and each one of them will have a new, unique prize number. But, the giveaway itself will always have the same number, because the number functions as its name.