That is a good question, isn’t it? 🙂

As always, things are not completely black and white… It depends on what you’re after or in which development phase you find yourself. And it depends which kind of contests.

I have just entered this image above to an Instagram challenge. Free and fun! But there is such an amazing high number of phot contests of various types available on all possible platforms!

So it it worth it to invest your time in competitions? Guess what… I made a list again!

pros

they help you evaluate your work

they help you improve your work

they give you better insight into what kind of photography exists around you

they teach you the dos and don’ts of the industry

they can give you a motivation boost

they give you exposure

they are fun, at least for a while

cons

they tend to cost if they come with big prizes

they don’t really provide you with an income. I guess it’s not impossible but not very likely

they only give you serious exposure if you’re a top photographer

they lose appeal if you participate in too many

they take time away from the actual shooting

So what do you think? Have you entered any of the competitions here? Would you recommend any other?