PrizeSelect is a Windows raffle program that randomly selects winners from a pool of contestants and displays the results in real-time on the screen. Fully configurable, with graphics, wallpapers, prize-lists, and numerous options.
Simple EXE copy for installation.
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| Running Prize Select, about to give away a car. Click for larger image. |
It is designed to be used in front of a live audience and can handle either raffle-tickets (numbers) or people names. The presenter has great flexibility in changing which prizes are awarded, in what order, and you can control repeat-winners and other aspects of a raffle. This program knows how raffles should be run.
2022.05 Minor update: Program re-compiled using Visual Studio 2022 and .dotNet 4.8
Small Program, Many Features:
- Free for all personal and commercial use.
No registration or licensing.
No Adware
No bull
- No hassle installation:
Download/Copy the EXE along with a couple of graphics for the wallpaper.
Run the exe. An ad-hoc raffle is ready to begin.
- Supports instant ad-hoc (on-the-fly) raffles in either a numbered-ticket or "Person's named" mode. Or, with a little setup, the raffle can be configured, with all contestants and prizes pre-loaded via a simple ascii-text configuration file.
Multiple configuration files can be used, each with separate prize-lists and other criteria.
Once the raffle starts, contestants can be added on-the-fly
- Winners can optionally be restricted to one (1) win per contest.
Changeable on a prize-by-prize basis, or at the whim of the Prize Master.
For example, when giving away minor prizes, only allow one win per person, but for the Grand Prize, let all contestants be eligible. One mouse-click changes this mode.
- As names/tickets are drawn, you choose whether to "accept" them as a winner (for a 'Must be present to win' raffle) or if the winner declines the prize, simply draw a new name. Declined names are eligible to win the next prize.
- Contestants can be unobtrusively removed during an in-progress raffle (when they may have already won another prize).
- Jazz-up the program with user-defined wallpapers. In addition to the default blue wallpaper, illustrated above, you can make your own, company-branded wallpapers. Several are illustrated in this article.
- Fully documented with a 50-page PDF
Ticket Sale Features:
- Contestants can be entered into the raffle either by selling "raffle-tickets," typically from a roll of numbered tickets, or more by "Name," as in "John Smith."
Numbered Raffle tickets can be entered en-mass, as one transaction, moments before the raffle starts. For example, you could enter tickets "1000-1546" and the raffle would choose between these numbers.
Tickets can be entered from multiple, non-intersecting dis-contiguous rolls. Additional tickets can be added after the raffle begins.
- Of particular interest, numbered tickets can (and should be) sold by "Name."
(using the "Names" method).
For example, John Smith may have purchased 15 numbered tickets. You don't have to record the numbers!
When entering his purchase, type "John Smith x15" -- giving Mr. Smith 15 chances (15 copies of his name in the contestant list). Or, if multiple John Smiths, "John Smith of Accounting x15"
Use this method even if you are using numbered tickets. With this, there is no need to track the actual ticket numbers. This is a popular way to use the program with medium to small groups.
- If Mr. Smith later returns to buy 5 more tickets, enter the second transaction ("John Smith x5"). No need to look up the previous purchase. Mr. Smith would now have 20 chances to win.
- Or, tickets can be entered by Number (tickets 1200-1476).
- Contestants can also be entered via a previously built configuration file.
For example, for a company party, you could import all employee names and the prizes before the gathering. Then, after the party starts, other names can be added ad-hoc during the raffle. The program warns if duplicate names are found.
All contestants (or tickets) can be edited and viewed from within the raffle program.
- As names are drawn, the chosen name rolls like a slot machine. The actual effect looks neat. Here is a GIF animation that lamely tries to simulate the event (this GIF animation is too slow and does not progress the way the real effect does.... )
- A winning numbered-ticket (#2319), and a winning ticket-by-name (Nancy) looks like this:
- Optional Prize lists can be built ahead of time with pictures acting as advertisements, independently of the contestant lists.
Custom backgrounds, with your company's livery or other graphics is supported.
Each prize can have a graphic, or it can default to a text-version. Here is a different wallpaper, along with a now-dated Playstation prize:
Different Wallpaper, drawing for a Game Console. Winner not yet awarded.
- Prizes can be with and without illustrations. Those without illustrations are displayed as text in the center of the screen.
- Prizes can be raffled in a preset order or prizes can be selected at-will from a list, at the whim of the Prizemaster.
- Unannounced, unplanned, ad-hoc prizes can be awarded via an "unspecified prize." The Prize-master can switch between the original prize-list and ad-hoc prizes with a mouse-click.
- Prizes can optionally and automatically move to the next "available prize" as winners are chosen -- or the next prize can remain hidden until the Prize-master chooses to expose it.
- Awarded prizes are automatically removed from the Prize List so there is no risk of accidentally awarding twice.
- Accepted winners are recorded to a transaction file for later reporting. In the event of a power failure, results are safely recorded. The original and modified contestant list is backed up with each new ticket transaction and can be recovered up to the point of failure within moments.
- If a predetermined prize-list is not available, or if all "known" prizes are exhausted, the program switches to an "unspecified prize mode" without interruption. This allows the Prize Master to give away ad-hoc prizes, as Prize-masters and MC's often like to do.
Downloading:
Follow these steps for a more professional installation:
From Keyliner's public GDrive, click this link and download to a local temp or download directory. Do not download directly into ProgramFiles.
Download Link: Version 1.08
Folder link: Folder Link - contains standalone .exe and other downloads.
File Link: AllFilesInOne.zip - includes sample wallpaper, etc. Recommended.
prizeselect.exe MD5 check:
01-c1-81-be-8d-23-f6-a1-f4-a8-71-9e-a2-0d-a1-c5
SHA-256:
fcc8b435d84220a9dfb3ea6f24de85dc84a7141685de61ad4407c5e0fa843a78
When downloading, different browsers behave differently.
You will be prompted the file cannot be scanned. Click "Download anyway"
Microsoft Edge:
Prompts "DirectoryPulse.exe" was blocked because it could harm your device.
"Click See More" and allow the download. With Edge, the file will appear in your Downloads directory with a random name, "Unconfirmed 780359.crdownloaded" (name varies).
Rename the file to "DirectoryPulse.exe".
This link opens a directory, which includes the executable, wallpapers and instruction guide. Each can be downloaded separately or download the all-inclusive .zip file. To download, other-mouse click the file's name.
B. Mark the program as safe-to-run:
(This step may not be needed if downloaded by Edge and you clicked "More / Download Anyway")
Using File Explorer, right-mouse-click the downloaded (and re-named) .exe
Select "Properties"
Check [x] Unblock. This removes the "mark of the web."
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| Click for larger view |
* Only do this if you trust
keyliner *and* only if downloaded from keyliner's public GDrive.
If
"Unblock" is not visible, it has already been unlocked (by Microsoft
Edge).
Once [x] Unblocked is clicked, this security menu disappears.
C. Create a Program folder to hold the program:
Using File Explorer, open folder C:\Program Files,
Create a folder C:\Program Files\PrizeSelect
D. Copy the .exe to ProgramFiles\PrizeSelect:
Using File Explorer,
Copy/paste the .exe from the temporary/download folder
to C:\Program Files\PrizeSelect
Do this copy as a two-step,
copying from the download folder into Program Files. Windows security
will not let you download directly into Program Files (technically, you
will not be able to remove the "mark of the web" if downloaded directly
into Program Files).
E. Create a Start Menu Tile:
Using File Explorer, in C:\Program Files\PrizeSelect
Right-mouse-click the executable and "Pin to Start"
The program is ready to run. See icon on Start Menu.
I
recommend downloading the Installation/User-guide (PDF) and wallpaper
files -- especially the default wallpaper. The "All-in-one zip" contains the executable, several wallpapers and complete documentation
and sample files. It is a small download.
in order to give the program good "curb-appeal"
Try it out:
You can literally download the EXE; double-click it and start using it now, for a quick test. It will prompt for a ticket-number range and will assume an 'unspecified prize list.' Begin drawing samples within 20 seconds.
The remainder of this post highlights some of the most commonly-used features. The installation PDF has full details, including great examples and best practices.
Feature Details:
Contestant names can be copied and pasted into a configuration file, typically from Excel. Names can also be imported from one or more external ASCII files, allowing automated population. Typically, links are made to external lists, such as club-memberships, school rosters, etc.
Individual names can also be added on-the-fly, as in this screen shot (note the holiday themed wallpaper):
Click image for larger view, "Back" to return
Once names / raffle-numbers are added, the contestant list can be modified with rename, delete and find-duplicates. This is a screen shot showing a contestant list, along with a different wallpaper:
Standard Raffle Ticket Drawings:
Prize Selections can be started in an ad-hoc mode (on the fly, without configuration). This is particularly useful for traditional raffle-ticket drawings where you are using rolled-tickets. Data-entry for the tickets is easy, where you enter all the tickets in one transaction.
Illustrated, tickets #13456 through 13521 are being added in one step:
Multiple ticket ranges are supported, as are multiple rolls, and dis-contiguous numbers. Sold tickets can be managed from an inventory screen, in this case, showing numbered tickets instead of names:
Tickets can be entered by name, e.g., John Smith, or John Smith x15 (purchased 15 tickets). You cannot mix the two different types of data-entry.
From the download library, be sure to download the 50-page PDF User's Guide. This explains all features, including how to use graphics with the prizes, and how to pre-load the contestant lists.
Version History:
Full details in the Installation PDF guide.
2022.0528
1.08 Recompiled with Visual Studio 2022 Dot Net 4.8. No other changes.
2015.1220
1.07 Recompiled with Visual Studio 2015.
Added a self-signed certificate, but it will still show as an unknown author.
Everyone clamored for user-defined wallpaper, which was finally added.
Added cool support for changing "One win per contestant" switch, on the fly, controlled by inventory -- this means no more screw-ups by your Prize Master/Master of Ceremonies.
Fixed bug by adding "x5" support in both INI files and in Files=import.text.
Improved font sizes in several areas.
Expanded and enhanced documentation; included new screenshot illustrations.
1.05 Added Slot-machine effect while names are being drawn.
Changed the "List All" page, adding more options.
Improvements in documentation.
1.04 Added support for copying Winner list to clipboard.
Modified
"Autoadvance to next Prize" to behave more smoothly when on an
"unspecified prize"; it automatically advances to a new Unspecified
prize even if auto-advance is disabled. In practice, this feels more
natural during an impromptu prize-give-away.
1.03 Added support for "Discard All".
Added support for non-ranged, single-raffle-ticket data entry.
Fixed bug when loading backup.ini files which contained non-ranged numbers.
1.02 Initial Release
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Related articles and links:
Folder link: Folder Link This includes the all-in-one .zip
File Link: AllFilesInOne.zip
PrizeOrama - Raffle-ticket selection in Excel
