How to Run Drawings and Giveaways in Discord: Bots and Alternatives Compared

Discord is the home base for countless gaming communities, hobby groups, and online events. Running a community means frequently needing a fair random pick: giveaway winners, duty rotations, presentation order, and more.

This article compares six methods for running drawings and Amidakuji (ghost leg lottery) in Discord, and introduces options that balance transparency with ease of use. If your goal is splitting members into teams, see How to Split Teams Fairly in Discord.

What Discord Can and Can't Do Out of the Box

What Discord Can Do

Discord has a built-in poll feature that lets you present options in a channel and take a majority vote. Casual decisions via emoji reactions are also part of everyday server life.

• Majority votes with the poll feature
• Quick yes/no checks via emoji reactions
• Gathering opinions in threads

What Discord Can't Do (Built-in Features)

On the other hand, Discord's standard features include no mechanism for random drawings, such as:

• Picking giveaway or prize winners
• Randomizing presentation order
• Automatically assigning duties or moderator roles
• Amidakuji-style drawings

A poll decides by majority; a drawing means no one knows in advance who will be picked. They are fundamentally different, so running a drawing requires bringing in some kind of tool.

Six Methods for Running Drawings in Discord

Method 1: Giveaway Bots (GiveawayBot, etc.)

Add a drawing bot to your server. Giveaway bots such as GiveawayBot let you start a drawing with a command, collect entries via emoji reactions, and automatically announce the winner at the deadline.

Pros

• Stays within Discord
• Automates everything from entry to winner announcement
• Handles large numbers of entries

Cons

• Adding a bot requires the "Manage Server" permission
• The winner-selection algorithm is a black box with low transparency
• Can't answer the question "Was it really random?"
• No participatory experience like an Amidakuji drawing

Best for prize giveaway campaigns with many entrants where automation is the priority.

Method 2: Dice Bots and RNG Bots

Use a dice or random-number bot (DiceParser, etc.), assign numbers to participants, and draw. These bots are a staple in TRPG communities.

Pros

• Easy to set up and lightweight
• Results remain in the channel
• Quick decisions for small groups

Cons

• Manual work remains, such as assigning numbers
• Requires bot-adding permission
• Becomes cumbersome with larger groups

Best for quick, small-group drawings on servers that already have a dice bot installed.

Method 3: Custom Commands in Multi-Purpose Bots (MEE6, Dyno, etc.)

Multi-purpose management bots like MEE6 and Dyno sometimes include custom commands or drawing-related features. If one is already installed, you can repurpose it.

Pros

• No extra setup if the bot is already installed
• Managed together with moderation features

Cons

• Drawing features may be locked behind paid plans
• Configuration tends to get complicated
• Transparency depends on the bot and can't be verified

Best for large servers already running a management bot.

Method 4: External Tools + Webhook Integration (Advanced)

Run the drawing in an external tool or spreadsheet, then auto-post the results to a Discord channel via a webhook.

Pros

• Full control over the drawing logic
• Recurring drawings can be automated

Cons

• Requires technical knowledge to set up
• Participants can't see the process
• Ongoing maintenance effort

Best for communities with engineers who want to automate recurring drawings.

Method 5: Share a URL for an Amidakuji Drawing (Amida-san)

Create an event on Amida-san and post the URL in a Discord channel. Participants open the URL, pick their name, and add horizontal bars to join the drawing.

Steps

1. Create an event on Amida-san
2. Post the URL in a Discord channel
3. Participants access it and add their horizontal bars
4. Run the drawing
5. Share the results in the channel via URL

Example Discord Message

We're picking this week's event host with an Amidakuji drawing!

Join via the URL below (Deadline: 9PM tonight)
https://amida-san.com/events/xxxxx

Once everyone has added their bars, we'll run the drawing on screen share in VC

Pros

• No bot needed (just paste a URL, so no permissions required either)
• All participants add bars and take part in the drawing process
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days
• Supports up to 299 people
• Completely free, no registration

Cons

• Doesn't stay entirely within Discord (external URL)
• First-time users need a brief explanation

Best for communities that value transparency, and for prize drawings or duty assignments where everyone needs to accept the result.

Method 6: "Ready, Set, Go" Number Posting in Chat

Ask everyone to "Think of a number from 1 to 10" and post simultaneously. No tools needed and it works on the spot, but numbers can overlap and fairness can't be proven, so it only fits urgent situations with 3-5 people.

Comparison Table of All Six Methods

Method	Transparency	Cost	Setup Time	Bot Permission Needed	Large Group Support
Giveaway bot	2/5	Free+	5 min	Yes	4/5
Dice bot	2/5	Free	5 min	Yes	2/5
Multi-purpose bot	2/5	Free+	15 min	Yes	4/5
Webhook integration	3/5	Free+	60 min	Yes	4/5
Amida-san	5/5	Free	5 min	No	5/5
Number posting	1/5	Free	1 min	No	1/5

Turn Voice Channel Screen Sharing Into a Live Drawing

A strength unique to Discord is combining a drawing with screen sharing in a voice channel (VC) to create a live drawing event.

If the host shares their screen while running the drawing on Amida-san, everyone watches the result being decided in real time. You can even record it as a keepsake of the event.

The animation of tracing the Amidakuji lines looks great on stream, so the drawing itself becomes community event content. To take the show further, Amida3D turns the draw itself into the highlight of the event.

Use Cases in Discord Communities

1. Prizes and Giveaways

Great for community anniversary giveaways and in-game item distributions. With many entrants, a giveaway bot's automation is convenient -- but when the fairness of the win is under scrutiny, such as high-value prizes, a participatory Amidakuji drawing is the better fit. See also how to run a fair social media giveaway.

2. Deciding Event Order

Entry order for community tournaments, speaking order at showcases, singing order on karaoke streams -- deciding order is exactly what Amidakuji excels at.

3. Duties and Roles

Event host, note taker, moderator duty -- the roles nobody volunteers for are precisely where fair role assignment matters most. Since results remain accessible via URL, complaints like "I got picked last week too" can actually be verified.

4. Random Picks for Co-Working Calls and Casual Events

Also handy for casual moments, like choosing a theme for a co-working call or picking today's topic for a chat event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I run a drawing without permission to add bots?

Yes. With Amida-san (URL-sharing approach), no bot is needed. Anyone who can post a URL in a channel can host a drawing -- no need to ask a server admin for permissions.

Q2: Can people join from their phones?

Yes. Tapping the URL in the Discord app opens it in the phone's browser. The same URL works on both PC and mobile.

Q3: Does it work for large communities?

Amida-san supports up to 299 participants. For giveaways expecting entries in the hundreds, a giveaway bot may be easier to operate, so choose based on scale and purpose.

Q4: Can I keep proof of the drawing results?

Amida-san results are stored via URL for 180 days and anyone can verify them afterward. This is especially valuable for prize drawings where you want to avoid any suspicion of manipulation.

Achieving Transparent Drawings in Discord

While Discord has no built-in drawing feature, fair drawings are possible by leveraging external tools.

Key Considerations When Choosing a Discord Drawing Method

1. Transparency: Can everyone accept the result?
2. Permissions: Is bot-adding permission required?
3. Ease of use: How much setup time is needed?
4. Participation: Can everyone be involved?

In particular, Amida-san offers:

• No bot needed (just paste a URL)
• All participants involved in the drawing process
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• Completely free with support for up to 299 people
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days

Give it a try on your gaming community or online event's Discord server.

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Related articles:

• How to Split Teams Fairly in Discord
• Slack-Compatible Drawing Tools
• How to Run a Fair Social Media Giveaway
• Fair Role Assignment Methods
• What is Amidakuji? How It Works