Contests can be a great way to boost engagement and grow your discussion forum's community.
Below are 20 creative contest ideas designed to encourage participation and excitement in your forum, no matter the niche.
You can judge based on replies, views, or quality of conversation.
This works well in niches like hiking, travel, pets, or photography forums.
Let members vote on their favorite submission!
Track replies in advice sections or on a specific topic.
The person with the most correct answers at the end wins a prize.
Set clear guidelines to avoid spam, like requiring meaningful contributions.
Track how many members each participant brings to the forum and reward the top referrer.
Let the community vote on the best submission.
The funniest or most creative caption wins.
The best piece of user-generated content, as voted by the community, gets a prize.
Members can showcase their creativity, and the community can vote on the best design.
Those who guess correctly win.
Let the community vote on which one they find the funniest or most accurate.
Reward the one with the most unique, creative, or funny username idea.
You can track likes, upvotes, or community feedback to determine the winner.
The most generous and helpful contributor wins.
The first member to collect all the "clues" wins the contest.
Set a deadline and see who can solve it the fastest.
This could come with some real or limited responsibilities, allowing them to see the forum from a new perspective.
Members can nominate others or themselves, and a vote will determine the winner.
Track interactions, such as friendly responses and helpful advice, and reward the most welcoming participant.
By offering these diverse contest ideas, you can create excitement, foster community spirit, and keep your forum members engaged.
Just be sure to offer meaningful incentives—whether it's bragging rights, special forum badges, or actual prizes—to motivate participation!
Below are 20 creative contest ideas designed to encourage participation and excitement in your forum, no matter the niche.
1. Best Discussion Starter Contest
Encourage members to start new threads, rewarding the one with the most engaging or popular discussion topic.You can judge based on replies, views, or quality of conversation.
2. Photo of the Month
Host a monthly photo contest where users share themed photos.This works well in niches like hiking, travel, pets, or photography forums.
Let members vote on their favorite submission!
3. Best Advice Giver
Celebrate helpfulness by running a contest to see who can provide the most thoughtful advice or responses.Track replies in advice sections or on a specific topic.
4. Forum Trivia Challenge
Host a trivia contest where you post daily or weekly questions related to your forum's niche.The person with the most correct answers at the end wins a prize.
5. Post Count Race
Challenge users to be the most active for a set period by making posts or replies.Set clear guidelines to avoid spam, like requiring meaningful contributions.
6. Referral Contest
Drive new members to your forum by rewarding users for referring others.Track how many members each participant brings to the forum and reward the top referrer.
7. Creative Writing Contest
In a writing-focused or creative forum, ask users to submit short stories, poems, or articles on a given theme.Let the community vote on the best submission.
8. Caption This! Contest
Post a funny or interesting photo and invite members to come up with the best caption.The funniest or most creative caption wins.
9. Best User-Generated Content
Encourage users to submit guides, tutorials, or how-to content relevant to your niche.The best piece of user-generated content, as voted by the community, gets a prize.
10. Design Contest
This could be for designing forum graphics, avatars, or even forum banner ads.Members can showcase their creativity, and the community can vote on the best design.
11. Poll Prediction Contest
Create a poll about a future event or result (e.g., sports match outcome, movie release, etc.) and have members predict the outcome.Those who guess correctly win.
12. Meme Contest
Run a lighthearted meme contest where users submit topic-related memes.Let the community vote on which one they find the funniest or most accurate.
13. Username Competition
Let users suggest creative usernames for new members or fictional characters.Reward the one with the most unique, creative, or funny username idea.
14. Top Commenter Award
Reward the member who provides the best or most liked comments for a certain period.You can track likes, upvotes, or community feedback to determine the winner.
15. Random Act of Kindness Contest
Encourage users to help others in the forum by providing advice, sharing resources, or offering solutions.The most generous and helpful contributor wins.
16. Forum Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of specific posts, images, or keywords users have to find across the forum.The first member to collect all the "clues" wins the contest.
17. Time-Limited Puzzle Contest
Post a puzzle, riddle, or brain teaser related to your forum's niche.Set a deadline and see who can solve it the fastest.
18. Forum Moderator for a Day
Offer a contest where the winner gets to be a forum moderator for 24 hours.This could come with some real or limited responsibilities, allowing them to see the forum from a new perspective.
19. Post of the Week/Month
Nominate and reward the best post of the week or month.Members can nominate others or themselves, and a vote will determine the winner.
20. New Member Welcome Contest
Encourage seasoned members to engage with and welcome new members.Track interactions, such as friendly responses and helpful advice, and reward the most welcoming participant.
By offering these diverse contest ideas, you can create excitement, foster community spirit, and keep your forum members engaged.
Just be sure to offer meaningful incentives—whether it's bragging rights, special forum badges, or actual prizes—to motivate participation!
