Form questions

Waiver form questions for event participants

Ask 12 to 16, and make most of them required. Never skip the participant's date of birth, a separate acknowledgement for each named risk, and a signature with the signer's name and date. Age decides who may sign and what a release can cover, which is the easiest part of a waiver to get wrong.

A waiver form has to show that each participant was told the specific risks, understood them, and agreed to the terms before the activity began. These questions name each risk on its own line, separate a release from consent to first aid, and treat a participant under 18 differently from an adult.

The questions

The participant

  1. Participant's nameNameRequired

  2. Date of birthDateRequired

    Shows whether the participant is under 18, which changes who signs and what a release can cover.

  3. Which event or activity are you taking part in?Single choiceRequired

    A waiver describes a specific activity, so name it rather than the organisation's program in general.

  4. Email address, for a copy of this formShort text

    Short text, since the email component renders nothing on a published classic form.

  5. Mobile numberShort text

Risks and release

  1. Which of these risks do you understand and accept?Rating gridRequired

    One row per named risk, such as falls, collisions, heat, traffic and weather, with a single I accept column.

  2. Have you read the full waiver above?Single choiceRequired

    Print the text in a paragraph block directly above, never behind a link. A classic field description is not shown.

  3. Do you release the organisers from claims for personal injury, to the extent the law allows?Single choiceRequired

    Yes, or no, I would like to discuss it first. Name exactly who is released.

  4. Do you understand that some legal rights cannot be given up by signing this form?Single choice

  5. Do you confirm you are medically fit to take part?Single choiceRequired

  6. Do you agree to follow directions from marshals and officials?Single choice

Health and emergency

  1. Medical conditions the first aid team should know aboutLong text

  2. Do you carry medication the first aid team should know about?Single choice

  3. Emergency contact nameShort textRequired

  4. Their relationship to the participantShort text

  5. Emergency contact mobile, reachable on the dayShort textRequired

  6. Do you consent to first aid, including ambulance transport, if you cannot consent at the time?Single choiceRequired

    Kept apart from the release, because agreeing to treatment is not agreeing to give up a claim.

Guardian, media and signature

  1. Is the participant under 18?Single choiceRequired

  2. Parent or guardian's name, for participants under 18Name

  3. As parent or guardian, do you consent to the participant taking part with the risks listed?Single choice

    Consent and acknowledgement for a minor, which is not the same as the release an adult gives.

  4. Photographs and video from the eventSingle choice

  5. Signature of the participant, or of a parent or guardian for participants under 18SignatureRequired

    Drawn or typed, and printed into the response PDF. Keep waivers on a classic form, since a conversational form cannot take a signature.

  6. Name of the person signingShort textRequired

  7. Date signedDateRequired

Which questions to make required

Fourteen questions are required, far more than on a survey, because a waiver is a record that may need to stand up later. Each one proves identity, age, understanding, agreement or who to call. Medical details, medication, the contact's relationship, photo consent and the guardian questions stay optional, since the guardian questions apply only to minors and health details are volunteered rather than demanded.

The form built from these questions

A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.

Bayside Beacon Fun Run

Sunday 18 October on the Bayside foreshore. Three distances, one flat course, and everything raised above cost goes to the Beacon mental health service. Entries close midnight 11 October.

Who is entering

Your race

Your estimated finish time decides where you line up inside your wave. Nobody checks it and nobody minds if you are wrong, but a fast runner starting at the back spends the first kilometre weaving, and a walker at the front spends it being overtaken.
Every entry includes a shirt, but the size you pick is only guaranteed on entries received by 27 September. That is the day the print run is ordered. After it, sizes are whatever is left in the box on the morning.

If something goes wrong

The waiver

Taking part in a fun run carries risk, including falls, contact with other participants, uneven ground, traffic on the shared path and whatever the weather does on the day. Read the three statements below and tick each one. If you cannot tick all three, do not enter, and email the race office instead.

Three ways to change this bank

For an adventure tour or climbing centre, rewrite the risk rows for the activity, such as falls from height, equipment failure and water hazards, add the participant's experience level, and ask them to confirm that staff will fit their equipment. For a school or club excursion, remove the release entirely and turn the form into a parent consent: the trip, transport, supervision, medical details and permission to take part. A release is rarely the right tool for children on an outing. For equipment hire, replace the risks with the condition of the equipment at pick up, the return time, and who pays for damage or loss, and keep the signature, signer's name and date exactly as they are.

Questions people ask

What should a waiver form include?

The participant's identity and date of birth, the specific activity, each risk named plainly, the release itself in full, consent to first aid, an emergency contact, and a signature with the signer's name and date. Keep the release and the medical consent as separate questions. This is general guidance, not legal advice, so have a lawyer check the wording for your state.

Why list each risk on its own row?

A single tick under a paragraph of risks proves only that a box was ticked. A row per risk, each accepted separately, shows that the participant was shown heat, falls or traffic one at a time. It also makes the form easier to update when a course or activity changes, because one row changes rather than a paragraph.

Can a parent sign a waiver on behalf of a child?

A parent can consent to the child taking part and acknowledge the risks, but a release for a minor is limited. In South Australia, for example, the consumer guarantees cannot be excluded where recreational services are provided to participants under 18. Rules differ between states, so check yours and word the guardian question as consent.

Is a waiver the same as a consent form?

No. A consent form records permission, such as permission to take part, be treated or be photographed. A waiver goes further and asks the participant to give up some claims against the organiser. Many event forms need both, which is why the release and the first aid consent here are different questions with different answers.

Where should the waiver text go on the form?

Directly above the questions that rely on it, in a paragraph block. On a classic form a field's description is not shown to the person filling it in, so text placed there is never seen. A link to a separate page is weaker again, because nothing shows the participant opened it before ticking.

How is a signed waiver kept?

The inline signature is printed into the response PDF along with the other answers, which is the copy to keep. In the CSV export the signature column shows only a placeholder, so do not rely on the spreadsheet alone. Store the PDFs for as long as a claim could be brought, which your insurer can advise on.

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Other question banks

Tournament entry form questions for team nominations

A tournament entry has to tell the organiser which division a team belongs in, who is on the squad, and who is responsible for them on the day. These questions collect the team, its roster and its officials in one entry, so the draw, the scoresheets and the first aid list all come from the same answers.

Sports registration form questions for a club season

A sports registration has to place each player in the right age group or grade, tell coaches what could go wrong on the field, and record who agreed to the codes, fees and photos. These questions work for juniors and seniors on one form, with the guardian questions clearly labelled for players under 18.

Sponsorship enquiry questions for clubs and events

A sponsorship enquiry has to find out what a business wants from a club or event before anyone quotes a package. These questions ask about goals, reach and budget range in the business's own terms, so the reply is a proposal that fits rather than a price list sent to everyone.

On writing the questions themselves, read How to write a consent form. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a form with AI, then View, export and manage your responses.

Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .