Although return addresses aren’t required by judging agencies, we usually put a return address on all of our entries for a few reasons:

The Post Office

The post office cannot return an entry to you without it. If you accidentally transpose a number in the address, or if an address is incorrect, you won't get your entry back.

We think this is important, because the very first entry sent is going to confirm that the address posted is the correct address. If you don't get your entry back, you will have no way of knowing. This can add up quickly if you are sending 10+ entries to certain sweepstakes and don't have return addresses.

Also, if you have filled out multiples entries ahead of time, you have a chance to go back and correct the other entries before you mail them.

The Judging Agencies

The other reason is specifically for the judging agency. If for some reason they can't read the writing on your 3x5 or official form, they will look at the return address. If they can't read the return address or if there isn't one, they will disqualify you and choose another entry.

There are many different ways to affix a return address on your entry. You also can put the return address on the back flap if you don’t like the look of a return address on the front of an envelope. Here are a few ways to dress-up your envelope with a return address:
    · Rubber stampers using different colors of ink
    · Colorful labels
    · Preprinted address stampers
    · Hand decorations around it
    · Theme decorations (Fourth of July, Christmas, etc.)

Use your imagination! Return addresses don’t need to be boring. Also, if you are using plain white envelopes, any type of decoration will help grab attention to your entry. Return addresses are well worth the few extra seconds of your time and effort!