Best March Madness Contest and Bracket Challenges in 2026

1. The Sports Geek’s March Madness Pick’em Contest

The Sports Geek invites you to join our exclusive 2026 March Madness pick’em contest! It’s free to enter, you simply have to sign up for a free TSG account.

To play, you must make picks from multiple ATS lines and props for the Round of 64, the Sweet 16, and the Final Four. The winner at the end of each round will win a $500 gift card. If there are ties, you’ll be asked to complete a tiebreaker question.

The grand prize is $1,500 in gift cards for winning all three rounds! You’ll be able to choose from over 22,000 retailers for how you spend these gifts.

How to Enter

Fill in these steps to enter our TSG March Madness pick’em contest:

1. Create a free account and register at The Sports Geek.
2. Head to our March Madness pick’em contest.
3. Make your picks from various ATS lines and props for the Round of 64, Sweet Sixteen, and Final Four.
4. You must be 21 or older to enter, and be a resident of the contentinal United States or Canada.

2. BetUS’s March Madness $1,000,000 Bracket Contest

BetUS is bringing back its one-million-dollar bracket contest for 2026. Members receive 1 entry for every $100 deposited into their accounts.

To compete, you must complete a 64-team bracket and submit it between March 15th and March 19th. Be careful when submitting your picks, though, as your selections cannot be changed once submitted.

The grand prize for a perfect bracket is $1 million paid out over 650 monthly installments. If no perfect bracket is turned in, the contestant with the best bracket will receive a $100,000 free play with a 10x rollover.

Additional prizes for this contest include:

• • 2-5th place: BetUS prize pack with free plays, BetUS gear, and/or casino chips
  • Worst bracket: $25,000 free play

All prizes, except the grand prize, have a 10x rollover.

How to Enter

Complete these steps to join this BetUS March Madness contest:

1. Register or log in to your BetUS account.
2. Complete a qualifying deposit of $100 or more.
3. Find the contest by navigating to Contests > Free Contests > Basketball> March Bracket.
4. Navigate to Contests > Free Contests > Basketball> March Bracket.
5. Enter your selections for every matchup in the 64-team bracket.

3. BetOnline’s $200,000 Bracket Contest

BetOnline also made my list of the best bracket challenges this year. For just $20 per ticket, you can have your shot at the $200,000 prize pool.

Picks can be submitted between March 15th and March 19th. Members will qualify for a prize if they submit a completed bracket. You can purchase up to 20 entries into this contest, with additional entries coming at a discounted price:

• • 1st entry = $20
  • 2nd and 3rd entries = $15 each
  • 4th-10th entries = $10 each
  • 11th-20th entries = $5 each

You receive points for each correct selection on your bracket, starting with one point for winning predictions in the 1st round. Point values double every round, up to 32 points for correctly predicting the winner of the Championship Game.

The top 1,250 contests will split the $200,000 prize pool as follows:

• • 1st place = $50,000
  • 2nd place = $25,000
  • 3rd place = $10,000
  • 4th place = $5,000
  • 5th place = $4,000
  • 6th place = $3,000
  • 7th place = $2,500
  • 8th place = $1,750
  • 9th place = $1,250
  • 10th place = $1,000
  • 11th – 15th place = $800 each
  • 16th – 20th = $500 each
  • 21st – 30th = $400 each
  • 31st – 40th = $320 each
  • 41st – 50th = $280 each
  • 51st – 75th = $240 each
  • 76th – 100th = $200 each
  • 101st – 150th = $160 each
  • 151st – 200th = $120 each
  • 201st – 400th = $80 each
  • 401st – 700th = $60 each
  • 701st – 1,000th = $45 each
  • 1,001st – 1,250th = $30 each

In addition to completing the 63-game bracket, members must also pick the total points for the Championship Game as a potential tiebreaker question.

How to Enter

Follow these simple steps to participate in BetOnline’s 2026 March Madness bracket contest.

1. Create and sign in to your BetOnline account.
2. Purchase one or more bracket contest entries.
3. Submit your answers for each bracket you purchased. Only completed brackets are eligible for contest prizes.
4. Optional: review and update your selections prior to the submission deadline on March 19th.

4. Everygame’s $25K March Madness Bracket

Not to be left out, Everygame are also running a bracket contest in 2026. The prize pool consists of $25,000, and only a perfect bracket will claim the entire pot.

If there is no perfect bracket submitted, then the $25,000 prize is split among the 25 players with the most points. The prize money is awarded as a free bet, and winners receive an exclusive bonus code to claim it.

Any Everygame member in good standing can enter for free. However, to be eligible for the grand prize, you must have a total sports betting handle of $50 between March 16th and March 29th.

How to Enter

Here is how to enter Everygame’s 2026 free March Madness contest:

1. Sign in to your registered Everygame account.
2. Click the “Special Offers” tab and scroll to the $25k March Madness Bracket section.
3. Click the join button.
4. Enter your 63 picks for the contest bracket and provide other information as needed.
5. Submit your selections.
6. Review your selections and make any needed changes in the “Account History” section before the March 19th deadline.

5. BetNow’s Free $1,000,000 Bracket Challenge

BetNow’s free million-dollar bracket challenge is one of the best contests for basketball fans this March. Any active member in good standing can enter, and the top 30 contestants claim a piece of the seven-figure prize pool.

To be considered an active member, you must deposit at least $20 per month and place 16 or more $10 bets a month.

The prizes for BetNow’s bracket contest include:

• • 1st place (grand prize) = $350,000
  • 2nd place = $200,000
  • 3rd place = $100,000
  • 4th place = $50,000
  • 5th-30th place = $12,000

Only a perfect bracket, including correctly answering the tiebreaker question, can claim the grand prize.

How to Enter

You can enter BetNow’s bracket challenge by following these simple steps:

1. Sign in or create a BetNow account.
2. Navigate to Promotions > Contests > $1,000,000 Bracket Madness.
3. Complete your free entry form, including the tiebreaker question.

6. Bovada’s $50,000 Bracket Contest

Rounding out my picks for the top bracket challenges in 2026 is Bovada’s $50,000 bracket contest. For this competition, the $50,000 prize pool is split amongst the top three members:

• • 1st place = $25,000
  • 2nd place = $15,000
  • 3rd place = $10,000

Entry for this contest is free for members who have made a crypto or MatchPay deposit in the last 14 days. Crypto and MatchPay have minimum deposit requirements of $10 and $20, respectively, at Bovada.

Contests earn points for each correct selection on their 64-team bracket. First round selections are with one point, and the point totals double each round. Correct selections in the title game are worth 32 points.

Selections must be completed between March 16th and March 19th, and your picks cannot be changed once submitted.

How to Enter

Join Bovada’s March Madness bracket today by completing the following:

1. Register or log in to your Bovada account.
2. If you have not done so in the last 14 days, complete a MatchPay or Crypto deposit to qualify for the contest.
3. Go to the Bovada Hub > Promotions > 2026 March Madness Bracket Contest.
4. Complete your contest bracket.
5. Review your selections and then submit your ticket entry.