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Running a Competition

Start and end dates

The single most common reason a competition page does not appear, and what status does and does not control.

Last updated September 2, 2026

A COMPETITION WITH NO DATES NEVER APPEARS ON YOUR WEBSITE

The form lets you leave Start Date and End Date empty, but your website only shows a promotion when today falls between the two. With either one blank, the page returns not-found and the banner never renders. If your competition page is missing, check the dates first — it is almost always this.

Both dates, always

Set a start date and an end date on every competition, even one you intend to run indefinitely — give it an end date a year out and extend it later. The end date is also what the follow-up automation fires on, so a competition without one can never trigger a workflow.

Status does not control entries

PAUSED AND FINISHED DO NOT CLOSE THE FORM

Setting the status to Paused or Finished stops the page being served, but it does not stop an entry that is submitted directly — somebody with the form still open, for instance. If entries absolutely must stop on a date, the end date is what you rely on.

When a competition actually ends

The end date is inclusive and runs to midnight in your organisation's timezone. A competition ending on the 30th is live all through the 30th and closes as the 31st begins.

Extending one

Push the end date into the future and the competition comes back to life — including its follow-up automation, which will fire again at the new end date. That is usually what you want, but be aware everybody who already entered is eligible to be enrolled a second time.

Only one banner at a time

If your website shows a site-wide promotion banner, it displays the earliest-starting live competition only. Two overlapping competitions means the second one's banner never shows — stagger the dates if both need the slot.

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