Random Prize Assigner
Match people to prizes or tasks.
Built and maintained by Paul Clark, Redmoon Software · Last checked
Have a list of people and a list of prizes, chores, or tasks? This two-list matcher pairs them up at random in one click. It's ideal for office gift swaps, splitting up housework fairly, or assigning roles on a team without anyone feeling singled out.
Enter. Paste your people into one list and your prizes or tasks into the other.
Click Assign to see a result.
Options
Recent results
- No history yet.
How it works
- Enter. Paste your people into one list and your prizes or tasks into the other.
- Assign. Click "Assign" to randomly match each person to a prize.
- Copy. Copy the paired results to share them, or re-run for a fresh assignment.
About the Random Prize Assigner
Two lists, one assignment
People go in one box and prizes in the other, and each person is matched to a prize. By default the prizes are shuffled and dealt out so each is used once — a genuine one-to-one assignment rather than a series of independent picks.
The interesting case is when the lists are different lengths. With more people than prizes, the prize list wraps around and starts again, so prizes repeat in the same shuffled order. With more prizes than people, the surplus prizes are simply not handed out. Neither situation produces an error, so check the counts before you announce anything.
Allowing repeats changes the model
Tick Allow repeat prizes and each person gets an independent draw from the full prize list instead. Now the same prize can go to several people and some prizes may go to nobody, which is right when the "prizes" are categories — everyone gets assigned a colour, a topic, a role — and wrong when there is one physical object per prize.
That is the whole decision: are you distributing objects, or labels? Objects need the default; labels usually want repeats on.
Before you hand out the list
- Both lists are saved in this browser as you type, so the setup survives a reload.
- Set a Seed if the assignment has to be reproducible or defensible.
- Copy the result before you refresh — only the last ten runs are kept.
- For an assignment where nobody may draw themselves, use the Secret Santa tool, which builds a proper derangement.
Frequently asked questions
How are prizes assigned?
We shuffle the prize list and zip it to the people list so each person gets one. If you allow repeats, each person instead independently picks a random prize.
Does the order of names matter?
Only visually. The shuffle is uniform, so where a name sits in the list has no effect on what it's matched with.
What if the two lists are different lengths?
Without repeats, the match runs until the shorter list is used up. Turn on repeats and everyone gets an assignment even when prizes are fewer than people.
Is any of this uploaded?
No. Both lists stay in your browser, the matching happens locally with the Web Crypto API, and nothing is sent to a server.
Related randomizers
Further reading
- Dividing things up when the numbers don't come out even
Splitting 17 items between 4 people means somebody gets a fifth one. Here is how a fair division tool deals items out at random, why it splits by count rather than value, and the one thing you should do to your list of people first.
- Breaking gift-giving decision paralysis with a filtered random draw
"Just think of something" is exactly why gift-giving stalls under a deadline. Here's how filtering a big idea list by recipient type and budget turns an overwhelming search into a five-minute decision — and how it slots into secret santa and white elephant exchanges.
- Assigning fair raffle ticket numbers with a random number generator
Naming a winner by name feels arbitrary; drawing a number out of a known range feels provable. Here's when to reach for a numeric random draw instead of a name-list picker, with worked examples for raffles, lotteries, and sampling.
- Who gets which prize? Let chance decide — and show your work
Picking winners is the easy half of a prize draw. The fight starts when someone has to decide who gets the good prize and who gets the mug. A random prize assigner matches people to prizes in one shuffle nobody chose.
- Matching two lists fairly: zip prizes, tasks, and partners at random
Assigning a list of people to a list of prizes, chores, or projects sounds trivial until you do it by hand and someone notices a pattern. Here's how a two-list matcher zips one list to a shuffled copy of another, what happens when the lists are different lengths, and when to reach for a different tool.
- How to run a fair Secret Santa (and survive the office holiday party)
Pulling names out of a hat looks fair until you actually try it. Here's why a proper derangement matters, how to handle couples and remote teams, and what to do when someone draws themselves on round three.