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Free online duck race game and name picker

Race your audience or your own list, then crown a winner or rank everyone. 29 ducks, endless surprises.

Duck Race is available on the Free plan.

Rated 4.7 out of 5 on G2, based on 408 reviews
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What is a duck race?

A duck race is a random name picker. Every name becomes a duck, and pure luck sets the finishing order: from the winner to the last duck home.

How the duck race name picker works

Run an online duck race from any AhaSlides presentation.

  • Everyone picks a duck

    Players join on their phone and choose one of 29 ducks. No app needed.

    Two participant phones: the Pick your duck grid with named ducks such as Splash, Ziggy and Zorro, and the chosen duck waiting for the race to start

  • Watch the lead change

    Ducks ride wave surges, flip on rocks and get grabbed by seagulls, so the lead keeps changing.

  • Crown a winner

    The winner is picked at random and shows on the big screen and every phone.

    The Duck Race leaderboard on Tropical Lagoon with Ava first, Leo second and Hugo third, beside Ava’s phone showing You won

Set up the duck race your way

Pick one of 8 scenes

From Meadow Pond to Moonlit Pond. The scene changes the look, never the winner.

The same 13 ducks lined up in all 8 Duck Race scene themes: Meadow Pond, Tropical Lagoon, Frozen Lake, Canyon River, Temple Lake, Autumn Woods, Moonlit Pond and Sunset Bay

Ways to use the duck race

Pick a winner, hand out prizes or set an order.

  • Prize draws and giveaways

    Number your prizes, race the room, and each finishing place wins the matching prize.

  • Running order and volunteers

    Race the names to set who goes first, second and last. Nobody is put on the spot.

  • Classroom turns

    Race your class list for who reads next. More ideas for classroom education.

  • Webinar and event giveaways

    Big crowds race with the same odds, even past 1,000 people. See AhaSlides for events and conferences.

  • Team icebreakers

    Pure luck, so new starters and team leads start level.

  • Energisers between sessions

    A 15-second race wakes the room up before your next session or live quiz.

Duck race vs spinner wheel

Both pick at random. The duck race ranks every name; the spinner wheel picks one per spin.

Compare the duck race and the spinner wheel
Feature Duck race Ranks everyone. Spinner wheel One spin, one name.
Who takes part Your audience on their phones, or a list you type Names entered on the wheel
Result The full finishing order, however big the crowd, or the winner only One name per spin
How it runs A timed race, 5 seconds to 20 minutes A single spin
Best for Prize lists, running orders and big crowds One quick pick from a short list

What people say about AhaSlides

Reviews left on G2.

  • “I like best the different list of interactive games that it has and perhaps the feature that I like the most is that it requires little to no set-up for participants!”

    Ralph Lauren G.Economic Analyst, from G2

  • “It makes interactions fun for the audience and competing and playing against each other is enjoyable.”

    Balazs B.Digital PM, from G2

  • “It’s perfect for breaking the ice and checking understanding in a fun way.”

    Pinchen T.Political Organisation, from G2

Duck race questions

Yes, on every plan, including Free. Your plan only sets how many people can join the presentation, not whether you can run a race.

Yes. Set Racers to My list and type at least two names. That way you choose exactly who races, such as a class list or a list of prize entrants.

Everyone in the presentation. The duck race has no player limit of its own: your plan sets how many people can join, and the race stays smooth past 1,000.

Yes. The winner is drawn at random, and the duck you pick never changes its speed. There is no setting to pick or rig the winner.

No. Players scan the join code and play in their phone browser, with nothing to install.

Yes. Pick a volunteer, choose who goes next or open a lesson with a laugh. Every pick is random, so no student feels singled out.

As long as you set it: anywhere from 5 seconds to 20 minutes, with 15 seconds as the default. A short race suits a quick draw, and a longer one builds suspense.

Up to 40 ducks show on the pond at once. Everyone else still races by name with the same odds, so a crowd of 1,000 or more gets a full finishing order.

Yes. Share your screen in any Zoom or Teams call and players join on their phones as usual. AhaSlides also has a Zoom app that runs AhaSlides activities inside the meeting, and a Teams app for meetings and channels.

Yes. Set Race result to Full leaderboard and every racer gets a finishing place, so you can match numbered prizes or running orders to places. Winner only crowns just one.

AhaSlides has 41 slide types, from quizzes and polls to games and content slides. See them all on the slide types page, grouped by what they do.

Start your first duck race

Add the slide, share the code and the ducks are off.