How to "ensure" that a VR giveaway goes to somebody who actually has a VR headset?

Making an exclusive group that is dedicated to VR users is ideal. I would personally join it. I got a Meta Quest 3. Ask people to post either a picture of their headset, or show their SteamVR tool being used, or something of a sort helps. I am fairly new to it as I used it a few times myself, but I'm not an expert, but taking screenshots helps (if that's even possible) as I have not figured it out myself how to do it.

Update: To take a screenshot in SteamVR, you can press the System button and the trigger on your controller simultaneously. You can also take screenshots in-game using the Steam overlay by pressing the F12 key.

The Gifts on Deck group ensures that people have SteamDecks by having the person post a Deck keyboard item on their profile that you only get when you get a SteamDeck. Then you're allowed into the group. Maybe something like that, but VRish. Like Vasharal's idea, basically.

I had recommended someone make a VR group a few months ago.

only way would be to make a group that requires some form of proof to join.

odds are outside of playing required groups it won't get played regardless.

You can do it in the coleypollockfilet way - make a group, (or use your whitelist) and only let people join who have completed a VR only game at least a day before your post.

Leaked GA's is sadly always an issue, no real way of protecting against that if you don't count you doing manual checks on all winners.

As mentioned above, make a group that's VR only;
Perhaps possible to make a custom SG-Tools protected GA?
Or simply make a regular GA, write in description you only will allow users with time in VR-only games on Steam, and do manual check on winners. Re-roll any winner that don't fit the bill. Don't do that, read comments below.

Unfortunately, VR users only group doesn't solve a large part of the problem - this of folks not heaving VR gear (and they are likely to give away the best stuff) making GAs to VR users. As for the groups requiring games to be played, they usually have too small player base for VR only GAs guarantee the 5 entries.
Also, the fact alone, that a person has timed playing a VR game does not necessarily mean, that they have a headset, if no achievements are earned - I think, that without a VR gear we can still idle VR games for cards. So I don't see any easy solution here.

Well, if you give it away in a play requirement group (e.g., TalePlay), then the winner has to play it, so they necessarily have to have a VR headset.

you can do an invite only ink and just drop it in live vr vids n podcast but give a lot of time in giveaway cause most seem new to pc and dont even know about steamgifts yet and would think its a scam

There was group for VR owners on SG but the group didn't get much attention and quickly died (no more than 25 members now).

Besides the group suggestions above you could also create a whitelist giveaway. Create a thread saying VR owners who are interested in X game/s, please comment and you will add to your whitelist temporarily (you can remove after the giveaway or keep if you want to do it again some time). You of course would have to manually check each person who comments to make sure they have played a VR game or some evidence of them owning a VR set.

I'd join a group for VR gamers. (Even though the Australian summer means I can only imagine playing at night right now. Those headsets get gross in the sweaty heat)

Maybe a group for VR gamers will work

make a thread about ga ask for some kind of pic proof and whitelist them

Lots of interesting ideas, thanks folks. I doesn't seem like there's any sure-fire method (greed will find a way), but there are some good ideas to increase the chances of somebody actually having a headset.

I guess another possibility is to solicit interested parties who already have the game wishlisted AND have some time on VR games on their profile, and temporarily add them to my whitelist. I may not find 5 entries, but that's not the end of the world. I would also open it up to Actually Playing Games.

As the GA maker, it's your call for your requirements, but if you'll indulge another point of view...

For me, it's the chicken and the egg. A VR headset would be a huge outlay in my recreational spending, so I wouldn't want to spend so much AND need to spend then still more to get some VR games in order to use it. Or what, I'll get the VR gear for Christmas and wait until my birthday to get a game to use it?!? I'd want a pile of VR games in my library as step 1, collected one by one via deals and trades, to then justify buying the VR gear as step 3 (step 2 being a long process of justifying that spend, and the step 1 pile being a factor in that justification). I'd want the $500 gear cost to 'unlock' $500-worth of games already in my library "going to waste" without the gear. That might sound silly to someone more financially savvy, but that's how my brain works/sputters along.

Did all y'all VR players really buy the gear and your very first VR game(s) all in one splurge? I don't mean it as a criticism, just a curiosity.