It's not healthy or good to involve yourself in other people's business as long as there's no wrongdoing. Unless we're talking about an actual scam, (such as making false claims about the prize) there is no coercion, no trick and no pressure. The dangling carrot you speak of doesn't change the fact that everybody in the contest is a voluntary participant who has the opportunity to consider the benefits and drawbacks to participating. The fact that one or more participants make an uneducated decision to participate doesn't make it any kind of scam.
My point with the price of art is that it will only sell for as much as the market will bear. If the price (or auction reserve) is higher than that amount, it will not sell. So it is totally up to the buyers to decide how much the art is worth. Regardless of what the artist thinks about the value of his or her art, it us completely up the buyers to make that deal happen. The world does not owe you a living from your art.
It's not healthy or good to involve yourself in other people's business as long as there's no wrongdoing. Unless we're talking about an actual scam, (such as making false claims about the prize) there is no coercion, no trick and no pressure. The dangling carrot you speak of doesn't change the fact that everybody in the contest is a voluntary participant who has the opportunity to consider the benefits and drawbacks to participating. The fact that one or more participants make an uneducated decision to participate doesn't make it any kind of scam.
My point with the price of art is that it will only sell for as much as the market will bear. If the price (or auction reserve) is higher than that amount, it will not sell. So it is totally up to the buyers to decide how much the art is worth. Regardless of what the artist thinks about the value of his or her art, it us completely up the buyers to make that deal happen. The world does not owe you a living from your art.