# Freelancer.com Contests Scraper (`automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper`) Actor Scrape Freelancer.com contests for prizes, skills, entries, deadlines, and buyer signals. Monitor design demand and lead opportunities. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stas Persiianenko](https://apify.com/automation-lab) (community) - **Categories:** Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Freelancer.com Contests Scraper Extract public Freelancer.com contests with prize amounts, entry counts, skills, deadlines, and buyer signals. Use it to monitor creative demand, find lead opportunities, and track contest trends without manually refreshing Freelancer.com. ### What does Freelancer.com Contests Scraper do? Freelancer.com Contests Scraper collects public contest listings from Freelancer.com and turns them into a structured dataset. It captures contest URLs, IDs, titles, prizes, currencies, entry counts, skills, timing, status, public client metadata, description excerpts, and scrape timestamps. The actor is built for repeat monitoring of open contests, especially design, video, branding, website, illustration, and creative-services opportunities. ### Who is it for? - ๐ŸŽจ **Design agencies** tracking logo, packaging, web, and brand contest demand. - ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป **Freelancers** looking for active contests that match their skills. - ๐Ÿ“ˆ **Sales teams** finding businesses willing to pay for creative work. - ๐Ÿงช **Market researchers** measuring prize levels, categories, and contest volume. - ๐Ÿงฐ **Lead generation teams** building alerts for high-value public contests. ### Why use this scraper? Manual contest monitoring is slow. Freelancer.com pages change frequently, and the best opportunities can disappear quickly. This actor gives you clean records that can be exported, filtered, scheduled, or connected to downstream workflows. ### What data can you extract? | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `contestId` | Freelancer.com contest identifier | | `contestUrl` | Public contest URL | | `title` | Contest title | | `status` | Contest status such as active | | `prize` | Listed prize amount | | `currencyCode` | Currency code such as USD or AUD | | `prizeUsdEstimate` | Approximate USD value based on API exchange rate | | `entryCount` | Number of submitted entries | | `timeEnded` | Contest end time when available | | `timeRemainingSeconds` | Remaining time for active contests | | `skills` | Skill tags requested by the contest holder | | `clientDisplayName` | Public client display name when available | | `clientCountry` | Public client country when available | | `descriptionExcerpt` | Short contest description | | `scrapedAt` | Timestamp for the scrape | ### How much does it cost to scrape Freelancer.com contests? This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. - A small start charge is applied once per run. - A per-item charge is applied for each contest record saved. - You control cost with `maxItems`. For a cheap first run, keep the default `maxItems` value. For monitoring, schedule runs with the smallest volume that supports your workflow. ### How to use it 1. Open the actor on Apify. 2. Set `maxItems` to the number of contests you need. 3. Keep `statuses` as `active` unless you need another public status. 4. Optionally add a `keyword` such as `logo`, `video`, or `website`. 5. Click **Start**. 6. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, or via API. ### Input options #### `maxItems` Maximum contests to save. Use `100` or more for trend monitoring. #### `statuses` Contest statuses to request. The default is `active`. #### `keyword` Optional local keyword filter applied to titles, descriptions, and skills. #### `startUrls` Optional specific contest URLs to include before the general contest feed. #### `includeFullDescription` Enable this if you need the full contest brief in the dataset. #### `pageSize` Controls API page size. The default `100` is usually best. #### `proxy` Proxy support is available, but the actor normally works without proxy for public contest data. ### Example input ```json { "maxItems": 100, "statuses": ["active"], "keyword": "logo", "includeFullDescription": false, "pageSize": 100, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ```` ### Example output ```json { "contestId": 2759569, "contestUrl": "https://www.freelancer.com/contest/Experienced-Video-Editor-for-BeautyTech-Content-2759569.html", "title": "Experienced Video Editor for Beauty-Tech Content", "status": "active", "prize": 10, "currencyCode": "USD", "entryCount": 12, "skills": ["Video Editing", "Animation"], "clientDisplayName": "ExampleClient", "clientCountry": "United States", "descriptionExcerpt": "Freelance Video Editor Needed...", "scrapedAt": "2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z" } ``` ### Tips for better results - Use no keyword for a broad contest market snapshot. - Use keywords for focused alerts such as `logo`, `packaging`, `video`, or `website`. - Keep `includeFullDescription` disabled unless you need complete briefs. - Schedule frequent small runs instead of rare huge runs for monitoring. - Export to CSV for spreadsheet-based lead review. ### Integrations You can connect the dataset to: - Google Sheets for contest watchlists. - Slack alerts for high-prize contests. - Airtable or CRM systems for lead qualification. - BI dashboards for skill and prize trend analysis. - Email workflows for daily freelancer opportunity digests. ### API usage #### Node.js ```js import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper').call({ maxItems: 100, statuses: ['active'], keyword: 'logo' }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN') run = client.actor('automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper').call(run_input={ 'maxItems': 100, 'statuses': ['active'], 'keyword': 'logo', }) print(run['defaultDatasetId']) ``` #### cURL ```bash curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~freelancer-com-contests-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"maxItems":100,"statuses":["active"],"keyword":"logo"}' ``` ### MCP usage Use this actor from MCP-compatible tools through Apify MCP. MCP URL: ```text https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper ``` Claude Code setup: ```bash claude mcp add apify-freelancer-contests https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper ``` Claude Desktop JSON configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify-freelancer-contests": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompts: - "Find active Freelancer.com logo contests with prize and entry counts." - "Monitor Freelancer.com contests for video editing opportunities." - "Summarize the highest-prize active design contests this week." ### Scheduling Run the actor hourly, daily, or weekly depending on how quickly you need to respond. For lead generation, a daily run with `maxItems` around 100 is a practical starting point. ### Data quality notes The actor extracts public data returned by Freelancer.com. Some fields depend on what the public API exposes for a contest or user. If a client hides profile details, fields such as city or payment verification may be `null`. ### FAQ #### Why did I get fewer records than `maxItems`? If you use a keyword filter, only matching contests are saved. Remove the keyword or use a broader term. #### Do I need a proxy? Usually no. Enable Apify Proxy only if your run is rate-limited or blocked. #### Why is the full description empty? The actor saves `descriptionExcerpt` by default. Enable `includeFullDescription` to store the full brief. ### Legality This actor is designed to collect publicly available Freelancer.com contest information. Review Freelancer.com's terms and applicable laws before using scraped data in your business workflows. Do not use the data for spam, harassment, or prohibited automated contact. ### Related scrapers Explore related automation-lab actors: - https://apify.com/automation-lab/upwork-jobs-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/freelancer-profile-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/website-contact-finder ### Changelog #### 0.1 Initial version for public Freelancer.com contest extraction. ### Support If a run fails or data looks wrong, open an issue on the actor page and include your run ID and input. ### Summary Freelancer.com Contests Scraper helps you turn public contest activity into structured market intelligence and lead data. # Actor input Schema ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of contest records to save. The default is small enough for a cheap first run; use 100+ for trend monitoring. ## `statuses` (type: `array`): Freelancer.com contest statuses to request from the public API. ## `keyword` (type: `string`): Optional case-insensitive filter applied to contest title, description excerpt, and skills (for example: logo, video, website). Leave empty to collect all active contests. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Optional Freelancer.com contest detail URLs to include before the general listing scrape. ## `includeFullDescription` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, saves full contest descriptions in addition to short excerpts. This creates larger datasets. ## `pageSize` (type: `integer`): Number of contests requested per API page. Keep at 100 unless you need gentler requests. ## `proxy` (type: `object`): Optional Apify Proxy settings. The public API usually works without a proxy; enable this only if your runs are rate-limited. ## Actor input object example ```json { "maxItems": 20, "statuses": [ "active" ], "keyword": "logo", "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.freelancer.com/contest/Experienced-Video-Editor-for-BeautyTech-Content-2759569.html" } ], "includeFullDescription": false, "pageSize": 100, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "maxItems": 20, "statuses": [ "active" ], "keyword": "logo", "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.freelancer.com/contest/Experienced-Video-Editor-for-BeautyTech-Content-2759569.html" } ], "includeFullDescription": false, "pageSize": 100, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": false } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "maxItems": 20, "statuses": ["active"], "keyword": "logo", "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.freelancer.com/contest/Experienced-Video-Editor-for-BeautyTech-Content-2759569.html" }], "includeFullDescription": False, "pageSize": 100, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": False }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "maxItems": 20, "statuses": [ "active" ], "keyword": "logo", "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.freelancer.com/contest/Experienced-Video-Editor-for-BeautyTech-Content-2759569.html" } ], "includeFullDescription": false, "pageSize": 100, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": false } }' | apify call automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/freelancer-com-contests-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Freelancer.com Contests Scraper", "description": "Scrape Freelancer.com contests for prizes, skills, entries, deadlines, and buyer signals. Monitor design demand and lead opportunities.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "qwveRMSwzNtmiJhfU" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automation-lab~freelancer-com-contests-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automation-lab-freelancer-com-contests-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~freelancer-com-contests-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automation-lab-freelancer-com-contests-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~freelancer-com-contests-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automation-lab-freelancer-com-contests-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "maxItems": { "title": "๐ŸŽฏ Maximum contests", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of contest records to save. The default is small enough for a cheap first run; use 100+ for trend monitoring.", "default": 20 }, "statuses": { "title": "Contest statuses", "type": "array", "description": "Freelancer.com contest statuses to request from the public API.", "default": [ "active" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "keyword": { "title": "Keyword filter", "type": "string", "description": "Optional case-insensitive filter applied to contest title, description excerpt, and skills (for example: logo, video, website). Leave empty to collect all active contests." }, "startUrls": { "title": "Specific contest URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Optional Freelancer.com contest detail URLs to include before the general listing scrape.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "includeFullDescription": { "title": "Include full descriptions", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, saves full contest descriptions in addition to short excerpts. This creates larger datasets.", "default": false }, "pageSize": { "title": "API page size", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Number of contests requested per API page. Keep at 100 unless you need gentler requests.", "default": 100 }, "proxy": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional Apify Proxy settings. The public API usually works without a proxy; enable this only if your runs are rate-limited.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```