The best US sweepstakes and prize draws in 2026

Sweepstakes and prize draws look alike from the outside, but the rules behind them differ a great deal. Some are free to enter. Some charge for entries and run as licensed charity raffles. Some are one-off promotions that have already closed. This list ranks twelve of them in the order of our overall score, which weighs odds and value, transparency, player protection, ease of play, payouts and reputation. Our methodology explains each criterion, and every entry links to its full review.

Many of these promotions have ended. We keep them in because their rules show how a good (or poor) sweepstakes is written, and the structure tells you what to look for in the next one.

How to read this list

Check three things before you enter anything. First, find the free method of entry, which US law requires of a sweepstakes. Second, check where you may enter: several of these are limited to one state. Third, remember that the winner pays tax on the prize value. Sweepstakes, lotteries and raffles explains why those rules exist.

The ranking

1. Coca-Cola America 250 Drink in Adventure Sweepstakes

Free to enter with a Coca-Cola account, one entry per person per day, with a mail-in card that gives ten bonus entries. The top prize is an $80,000 vehicle credit toward a 2026 Jeep Wrangler. Open to 18+ in the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. The entry period closed on 24 May 2026. Read the review.

2. HGTV Dream Home Giveaway

A free-entry giveaway, with one entry a day on HGTV.com and one on FoodNetwork.com. The prize is a Charlotte lakeside home plus $100,000 cash, a total ARV of $2,448,933, for entrants 21+. Winners pay the taxes on that value, and the entry period closed on 13 Feb 2026. Read the review.

3. Giving Back Raffle (Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego)

A California-only charity raffle with tickets at $150 and no free entry. It is registered with the California Attorney General as R-4009, and the grand prize is a Del Mar house with an ARV of $7,000,000, or a cash alternative. Ticket sales ended on 26 June 2026. Read the review.

4. Mile High Raffle (Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver)

A Colorado-only licensed raffle with main tickets at $50 and no free entry. The grand prize is a vehicle choice or up to $100,000 cash, with the drawing on 6 Nov 2026. Read the review.

5. PrizeWave

PrizeWave is the one entry on this list that pays a cash prize every month: $50,000, drawn on the 20th. It is a membership, with plans at $19.99, $29.99 and $49.99 a month, carrying 200, 400 and 1,000 entries respectively. Its free route is a mail-in request worth 200 entries, the same as the Basic plan, limited to one per person per draw period. Open at 18+ in 48 states and DC (19 in Alabama and Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi), excluding New York and Florida.

It lands mid-table for honest reasons. The strengths are real: a free entry, cash rather than a vehicle or a house, a monthly schedule, and a membership you can cancel from your dashboard. The reasons it does not rank higher are that odds are not published, we found no spending limits or self-exclusion tool, and the winner pays all taxes and has 14 days to return documents. For a closer look, see the PrizeWave landing page or the full review.

6. MONOPOLY Game at McDonald’s (2026)

Free by mail-in request, with game pieces also coming with qualifying purchases. The top cash prizes are $100,000, alongside a Jeep Cherokee Overland. The game ran from 6 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026, for entrants 18+ in the 50 states and DC. Read the review.

7. Dream Giveaway

Charity car giveaways with free entry by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope. The current prize is a 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with an MSRP of $116,340, and the sponsor puts $31,000 toward the federal prize tax. Draw 212 is on 18 Nov 2026. Read the review.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation 25 Years of Heroes Car Raffle

An Arizona-only raffle at $50 per entry, with no free entry method stated. The grand prize is a choice of a Ford Bronco (maximum retail $65,700), a Mustang Mach-E or $10,000 cash. It closed on 10 Sept 2026. Read the review.

9. St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway

A charity raffle with $100 tickets and no free-entry method stated, run in 40+ markets for a new house. All proceeds go to St. Jude. Online reservations are not available in California. Read the review.

10. HGTV Smart Home Giveaway

A free daily entry, per the press release, for an Orlando home plus $100,000 cash. We could not verify the official rules because the page was blocked, which is why it sits lower. The entry period closed on 19 June 2026. Read the review.

11. Charitybuzz Sweepstakes (Prizeo)

Celebrity-experience sweepstakes where no donation is necessary to enter or win. Donations earn bonus entries (for example $15 = 150 entries), and prizes include experiences and $10,000 cash. Read the review.

12. Publishers Clearing House

Free entry is available, with optional paid Quick Packs ($20 = 500 entries) that the rules say do not improve your chances. The current prize is a Cadillac Escalade ESV or $75,000 cash, for entrants 21+. Its score reflects a 2023 FTC settlement of $18.5M and a Chapter 11 filing in April 2025. Read the review.

How to choose

If you want to spend nothing, favour the free-entry promotions and use the mail-in route when the online one is closed. If you want a recurring cash prize, PrizeWave is the only monthly cash draw here, and its free route lets you test it first. If you want a raffle, check that it is licensed in your state. None of these is an investment: set a budget, and call or text 1-800-GAMBLER if play stops being fun.