App Store 5.3.1 rejection: Contest and sweepstakes sponsorship
By The Draftbit team · Updated
Sources checked
This guide is for iPhone and iPad apps running sweepstakes or contests.
Apple may be asking who is responsible for the promotion. Under 5.3.1, sweepstakes and contests must be sponsored by the app’s developer. A third-party prize supplier isn’t automatically the same thing as the sponsor.
Compare the named parties
Check the developer account, official rules, entry screen, and prize information. Who does each say is running the contest? We’d resolve conflicting names before changing the review notes.
Align responsibility and presentation
Make the actual sponsorship meet the rule and reflect it accurately in the app and official terms. If the current arrangement doesn’t qualify, change or remove the contest. Involve qualified advice when changing the promotion’s legal structure.
Test the entry flow and review all links to the rules. Also check 5.3.2 for the required rules and Apple non-involvement statement.
Give Apple the sponsor’s identity, its relationship to the submitting developer, and the location of the rules. A new sentence naming the developer won’t fix a different real sponsorship arrangement.
Messages this guide can help with
App Store 5.3.1 rejection; app store 5.3.1 denial; Guideline 5.3.1; Contest and sweepstakes sponsorship
Official sources
We checked these instructions against the sources below. The console layout may change, and your review decision may call for different steps.
- Apple App Review guideline 5.3.1 Checked 22 September 2026