How to use Winner Reveal

What it does and who it's for

You have your entrants and you want to announce a winner in a way people will actually watch. Winner Reveal draws the winner and renders an animated reveal video you can post or record.

It doesn't collect entries. Bring a list you already have — from a spreadsheet, a form, or a comment import.

Before you start

• No account needed. It runs in your browser with JavaScript enabled.
• Either a CSV of your entrants, or just the total number of entries.
• CSV shape: a header row and one row per entrant, using either a single Name column or separate First Name and Last Name columns. Export from Excel or Google Sheets as .csv.
• Optional: a logo or background image, and your brand colors. For the sharpest result, match the image to your chosen format.

Either of these will work. One column:

Name
Priya Raman
Tom Whitfield
Dana Alvarez

Or two:

First Name	Last Name
Priya	Raman
Tom	Whitfield
Dana	Alvarez

Or download a sample file and replace the names with your own: Sample entrant list (.csv).

Step by step

1. Add your entrants

Drop your CSV onto the upload area or browse for it. If you don't have a file, enter your total number of entries instead and the tool picks a winning number for you to match against your own list.

2. Choose where you'll post it

Square (1:1) for Instagram and Facebook feeds, Vertical (9:16) for Stories, Reels and TikTok, or Landscape (16:9) for YouTube and X. The video renders at the recommended size for that platform.

3. Pick a reveal style

Slot Machine spins names and slows to the winner. Countdown runs 3, 2, 1. Spotlight fades names past and lights up the winner. Typewriter types the winner out letter by letter.

4. Customize the look

Add optional header text above the winner, set a background color or upload a background image, and choose a text color that stands out against it. The live preview shows exactly what you'll get.

5. Start the reveal

Run it. The winner is picked using your browser's own secure random number generator, so the result can't be predicted or influenced, and every entry has an equal chance.

6. Download your video

Choose your format and download. The first download asks for an email address; after that, downloads in the same browser run straight through.

7. Pick again for more winners

Use Pick Again for runners-up. Download each video before you pick again — the previous one isn't kept.

Limits and what it can't do

• CSV only. Anything else is rejected with Please upload a .csv file.
• Names only. Rows that look like email addresses, phone numbers or street addresses are skipped deliberately, and the number skipped appears in an amber notice. That's the privacy filter working, not a fault.
• Header text is capped at 60 characters.
• Nothing is stored. Your list and your video exist only in that browser session.
• One email address, once per browser, before the first download.
• Clip length is fixed. A long name or a long header is fitted to the frame rather than given more time.
• It doesn't collect entries, dedupe your list, or exclude previous winners — clean the list before you upload it.

Troubleshooting

It skipped some of my rows

Look for the amber notice showing how many rows were skipped. The tool deliberately ignores anything that looks like an email address, phone number or street address. Upload a file with a clean Name column, or First Name and Last Name columns, and nothing else.

My CSV won't upload

Almost always one of two things: the file is an .xlsx renamed to .csv rather than exported as CSV, or it has no header row. Re-export from Excel or Google Sheets as .csv and check the first row holds column names. If that doesn't do it, start from the sample entrant list (.csv) and paste your names into it.

The video won't play, or a social app rejects it on upload

The output format depends on the browser. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox produce an MP4. Some other browsers fall back to a format not every social app accepts. If your file won't upload, re-download it in Chrome.

I'm stuck at the download, and nothing happens

The email step loads from another ShortStack domain, so a strict ad or tracker blocker can silently block it. Pause the blocker for this page, or try another browser, then download again.

The tool won't load at all

It needs JavaScript enabled. Turn it on and refresh.

Is the draw actually random?

Yes, and it's worth being able to say how. The draw uses the Web Crypto API, a random number generator built into every modern browser and held to the same standard as the one used to generate encryption keys. It isn't a ShortStack component or a third-party service, and it can't be predicted or steered. If you need to show an entrant an independent source, Mozilla's reference for crypto.getRandomValues() documents it, though be warned that it's written for engineers rather than general readers.

Privacy and what happens to your data

Your entry list is read entirely in your browser and never sent to a server. It's discarded when you leave the page. Only name columns are read; anything resembling an email address, phone number or street address is stripped before the reveal. The email address you give before your first download goes to ShortStack so we can send the video and follow up.

Related resources

How to Select Winners (Help Doc)

How to use the Rules Generator (Help Doc)

How to use the Campaign Checker (Help Doc)