How to run a Melbourne Cup sweep (2026)

A Melbourne Cup sweep is a draw that gives every entrant one horse from the field, with prizes for whoever holds the horses that place. To run one, collect the names, get the confirmed field, draw once with everyone watching, print the sheet, and agree the prizes and the scratching rule before anyone sees a result. Cup Day is Tuesday 3 November 2026, and the whole job takes about five minutes.

How do you run a Melbourne Cup sweep?

1. Collect the names. Ask in the team chat or leave a sheet on the kitchen bench. Close entries before the draw, because a late name means a redraw or someone getting the leftover.
2. Get the field. The Cup field is capped at 24 starters and is confirmed in the week of the race. Paste it into the sweep generator once it is out. Until then you can draw on numbers alone.
3. Draw once. One click, on the big screen or on a call, with everyone watching. No redraws because someone dislikes their horse. That is how a sweep loses the room.
4. Print and pin. Print the A4 sheet for the fridge, or copy the list as text and drop it in the group chat.
5. Agree the prizes and the scratching rule, and write both on the sheet. More on each below.

What are the rules of a Melbourne Cup sweep?

There is no official rulebook. These are the rules that stop arguments, and each one belongs on the sheet before the draw:

• One draw, no redraws. The result stands, whoever it lands on.
• Entries close before the draw. Nobody joins afterwards.
• Prizes are set first. Most offices reward the horses that finish first, second and third, and plenty add last place. Write them down and tell everyone up front.
• Scratchings have a rule. Pick one from the list below.
• Dead heats share. If two horses dead-heat for a place, the two holders share that prize.
• Joining is optional. Nobody gets chased for an entry.

Which sweep format should you use?

Most sweeps come in one of three shapes. The generator handles all of them, and which one you get depends on how many horses and how many people you have.

• One horse each. Twenty-four horses, twenty-four people. Everyone draws one.
• More people than horses. The extra names go on a reserve list, in the order they came out of the draw.
• More horses than people. Some people hold two. The draw is dealt evenly, so nobody holds a second horse until everyone holds a first.

What happens when a horse is scratched?

A scratching is a horse withdrawn before the race. Agree the rule before the draw, because the holder will have a view afterwards. Three rules organisers use:

• Draw late. Wait for the confirmed field, close to the race, and there is less to go wrong.
• No replacement. Simple and clear. The holder sits the race out.
• Reserve steps in. If a runner joins the field after the draw, the first name on the reserve list takes it. The sheet lists reserves in draw order, so nobody argues about who is next.

How do you print a Melbourne Cup sweep?

Draw first, then press Print sheet in the sweep generator. It prints as a clean A4 portrait sheet with the field, who drew what, any reserves, a blank column to write the result in and a space for your logo. Copy as text is there if you would rather paste the list into a chat.

The draw uses your browser’s random number generator, so every arrangement is equally likely. Draw once and stick to it: draw again and you get a completely different result.

Does a Melbourne Cup sweep need money?

No, and Fanzava handles none. The generator is a draw and nothing more. It takes no entries, holds no money, hands out no prizes and carries no racing form. Whether money changes hands in your sweep is up to you as the organiser and the rules where you live. Victoria’s regulator publishes plain-English guidance on its Melbourne Cup sweeps page.

The simplest version needs no money at all. The organiser or the business supplies the prize, and the sweep is there for the fun of it.

What are good Melbourne Cup office ideas?

A sweep works best as a small event, not just a list on the fridge.

• Draw it live. Run the draw on a screen or a video call so nobody wonders whether it was fair.
• Add a best dressed vote. Hats, fascinators and ties. Staff vote, and the winner gets a prize of their own.
• Make lunch the prize. The winner picks the lunch order, or the whole team gets a shout from the business.
• Give last place a spoon. A small joke prize for the horse that finishes last keeps the back of the field interested.
• Draw by team, not by person. Put team names in the names list and each team holds a horse. The draw and groups generator can split the office into teams first.
• Include remote staff. Post the sheet in the group chat, run the draw on a call, and send the prize to whoever wins.
• Let the winner pick a charity. The business donates in the winner’s name.

How do you keep a sweep fair and inclusive?

Some people do not want to take part in anything to do with racing, and that is theirs to decide. Make joining optional and say so, and do not chase anyone. Offer a second way in that has nothing to do with the race, like the best dressed vote or the lunch.

Fairness comes down to being seen to be fair. One person runs the draw, in front of everyone, once. The rules are on the sheet, and they were there before anyone knew which horse they had.

How do you turn one sweep into a season of comps?

The sweep tells you the office will play. The Cup is one race, but the same people will join a competition that runs all season, with a leaderboard to check on Monday morning.

Footy tipping is the usual next step. Fixtures, results and scoring come from the live data feed, the competition sits under your own logo and colours, and there is nothing to type in on a Sunday night. The Free plan holds up to 25 people and 1 competition at a time, with no credit card. Add a bracket for the finals and one leaderboard covers the whole sporting year.

If you are running this across a company, see how Fanzava works for workplaces. The same draw also runs a football sweepstake for a World Cup, and our guide to running a footy tipping comp covers the rest.