I understand what you're saying. Contests are important to some people, especially if they've entered in them. I know some folks enter the contests for the sheer joy of it. Others, like myself, at least fantasize about winning a nifty prize. I haven't won a prize in a contest. In the end I don't care to try any more. On the other hand I've achieved more satisfaction from a well-done tutorial or freebie. And now I'm back to "art for its own sake," or maybe just a bit of satire.