"Look at it this way. You draw your own picture not as a part of a contest. There is 0% chance of any return. If you enter a picture into the contest, even at unknown odds, you have a greater than 0% chance of winning. So entering the competition is always a better return than not entering."
Woah, that's flat out wrong. There's always a good chance you could sell the picture later on, so yes there is much greater than 0% chance there. And of course, if you compare it to 'drawing for a paid commission' instead, then you're making much more money than the average return from most of these contests.
Here's the facts as I see them... Do these contests state an average rate of return, and provide clear odds of winning? No. Are the creators submitting able to make a clear judgement of the average return and their own individual chances from these contests? No. Are they backed by big publishers or come with clear large audiences for the entries to offset opportunity loss with 'exposure' advertising? No. Do these contests allow for low-creator-cost entries that they have either already created? No. Are these contests subject to clear scrutiny from an honest third party to ensure no unfair procedures or underhand deals? No. Are these contests good deals for the creators? No.
Should artists enter works into these contests? NO.
"Look at it this way. You draw your own picture not as a part of a contest. There is 0% chance of any return. If you enter a picture into the contest, even at unknown odds, you have a greater than 0% chance of winning. So entering the competition is always a better return than not entering."
Woah, that's flat out wrong. There's always a good chance you could sell the picture later on, so yes there is much greater than 0% chance there. And of course, if you compare it to 'drawing for a paid commission' instead, then you're making much more money than the average return from most of these contests.
Here's the facts as I see them... Do these contests state an average rate of return, and provide clear odds of winning? No. Are the creators submitting able to make a clear judgement of the average return and their own individual chances from these contests? No. Are they backed by big publishers or come with clear large audiences for the entries to offset opportunity loss with 'exposure' advertising? No. Do these contests allow for low-creator-cost entries that they have either already created? No. Are these contests subject to clear scrutiny from an honest third party to ensure no unfair procedures or underhand deals? No. Are these contests good deals for the creators? No.
Should artists enter works into these contests? NO.