Sponsors sometimes create multiple versions of promotions. With a lot more sponsors venturing out onto the Web, they are using sweepstakes as one way of recording activity at their site. They will sometimes create an online sweepstakes with an alternate mail-in entry, but the traditional media promotion could use a different sweepstakes name.

For example, company XYZ promotes a sweepstakes called "Win a Trip to Disney World" and it’s being promoted online. Limit one entry per person whether online or via regular mail. It has an online entry form, plus the official rules state that you can use an alternate method of entry by sending a 3x5 card to: Win a Trip to Disney World, PO Box 1234, Anywhere, USA 12345.

The sponsor then promotes the sweepstakes in Sunday newspaper inserts under the name "Family Vacation," and you can send an official entry form or 3x5 (limit one entry per person) to: Family Vacation, PO Box 1234, Anywhere, USA, 12345. Same prizes, same everything.

This could be two different sweepstakes, but more often than not, it is the same sweepstakes being promoted under a different name for different advertising media. If you send in two entries to the same PO box, not realizing they are the same sweepstakes, you could be disqualified. The only clue is the PO box address, not the sweeps name.

Typical language in the official rules might include is "This sweepstakes may appear in several creative presentations." To avoid confusion, one way around this is to say, "One entry per person, regardless of the number of creative presentations. Subsequent entries by the same person will be disqualified." This way, you are not disqualified altogether for entering more than once in multiple forms of the promotion. If you find official rules for a multiple version promotion, look for any subsequent entry information.

We search by PO box number or address when we add sweepstakes to our issues--not only by the sweepstakes name. We have found a couple of these multiple version sweepstakes floating around, and when we do, we choose not to publish more than one version, however, we do let you know in the Notes section that other versions may exist. If you are allowed to enter more than once, we will list any and all versions of that particular promotion that we may find.