Well, in terms of a lottery, you just giving money away and see if you can really win something. We have a similar thing here in South Africa. People cue up every Wednesday to throw their money away, there's no work involved. Now with a contest, you put down a small amount of money and submit your artwork (Your best work) to stand a chance to win money or prizes or even a showcase on your work or something. What I would like to know, would people concider entering a contest with a non-refundable submission fee to stand a chance at winning a larger cash prize. I've noticed that people are more willing to enter contests that have no entry fee and get something out of it. It's still the same principle but the curency is different (Your artwork). I mean, if your were to submit your work for a contest, are you real sure that you will win. It's still the same principle at the end of the day. It was just something I was curious about. Was doing some research regarding contests in general.