A contest entry needs a close time, a rule acceptance, and a way to disqualify.

Three things a contest form must be able to prove

<form action="https://freelyform.com/f/FORM_ID" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
  <input type="hidden" name="_subject" value="Contest entry">

  <label for="name">Name</label>
  <input id="name" name="name" autocomplete="name" required>

  <label for="email">Email</label>
  <input id="email" name="email" type="email" autocomplete="email" required>

  <label for="entry">Your entry</label>
  <textarea id="entry" name="entry" rows="5" required></textarea>

  <label for="upload">Attachment (max 25 MB)</label>
  <input id="upload" name="upload" type="file" accept=".pdf,.jpg,.png">

  <label>
    <input type="checkbox" name="rules" value="accepted" required>
    I have read and accept the <a href="/rules">competition rules</a>.
  </label>

  <button type="submit">Enter</button>
</form>

State the close, with a timezone

"Entries close on Friday" is ambiguous in a way that produces angry emails on Saturday. Give a date, a time, and a timezone, and let the record timestamps do the enforcement. If you accept a late entry as a courtesy, the record still shows it was late, which is the honest position.

Attachments: allowlist and size

Entries are often files, so uploads must be enabled with an allowlist that matches what you will actually open, and the default ceiling is five files of 25 MB. Anything larger should use a link field rather than a file input — a failed three-minute upload at the deadline is the worst possible failure mode for a contest.

Judging needs a list, not a folder of emails

Before entries close, decide how the judging happens: usually a CSV export with the entry text and links to the attachments. If judging requires something the record cannot give — a blind read, for instance — collect it in a way that makes it possible, or the first hour of judging is spent reformatting submissions.