How to Prepare a Simple Giveaway Picker
Orbit can select from an eligible list. It cannot determine eligibility, run your promotion or provide a certified contest audit.
Set the rules before the draw
Write down who may enter, when entries close, how many chances each person receives and what happens if a selected entrant cannot receive the prize. Check any rules that apply to your promotion before using a picker. This guide describes list preparation, not legal advice or a claim that a particular giveaway is permitted.
For a simple one-entry-per-person draw, your input should contain one row per eligible person. If the promotion has another rule, document how it maps into entries or positive weights. Do not quietly add more chances for a preferred entrant. A clear input rule makes the selection process easier for others to understand.
Clean the eligible list
Collect the entries in your own trusted process, then check them before copying labels into Orbit. Remove entries that do not meet your published conditions. Check spelling, missing entrants and duplicates. A repeated label represents another selection chance, so an accidental duplicate changes the draw even if the wheel looks almost the same.
Use a participant label that identifies the entry without revealing unnecessary personal information. An internal entrant number may be better than a full name or email address on a public display. Keep the separate mapping secure. Orbit does not verify that a numbered entrant is genuine or that your list includes everyone.
If several people have the same display name, give them distinct labels. A result that says only Alex may be impossible to resolve after the draw. Avoid uploading identity documents, contact details or private photographs as wheel images. Those are not needed to make a random selection.
Choose the draw and replacement rule
Open Random Name Picker or Wheel and enter the cleaned labels. For equal entry chances, use equal weights. If you deliberately use weighting under the published rules, inspect the saved positive values and total before spinning. The weighted selection guide gives a small calculation example.
For several different winners, remove a selected entry before the next draw according to your rules. If one person has multiple entries, removing only one row may still allow that person to win again. Orbit does not automatically enforce one-prize-per-person across different labels. You must define and apply that rule yourself.
Agree on redraw conditions in advance. An ineligible or unreachable winner might require a replacement, but disliking the result is not a neutral reason to redraw. Keep a separate record of the final input, the selection sequence and any replacements if your process requires it. Local history alone is not tamper-proof.
Present the result without overstating it
Orbit chooses the winning entry with browser Web Crypto before animation. A wheel landing position or Roulette reveal does not establish a different chance. Use fullscreen if you want the group to see the result, and keep confidential editing information out of screenshots. Reduced motion changes presentation, not probability.
A local result record can help you remember the draw, but Orbit is not a licensed promotion platform, escrow service or certified audit provider. It does not verify entrant identity, deliver prizes or prevent someone from editing a local wheel. Do not imply that a share link certifies your rules or the completeness of the list.
Remote sharing publishes a separate snapshot of the setup, not your local draw history. Anyone with the link can see that snapshot and make a copy. If publishing labels would disclose personal data, avoid the share action and use a local display or a suitably redacted record. Export a private backup only if you have a reason to retain the data, and remove it when that reason ends.