1. Side income and various perks
What's not to love when joining a contest gives you some probability to win some cool gadgets, and tickets or perhaps convert them to cold hard cash?


2. Making new friends
When I started out joining contest regularly in 2011, somehow I added quite a number of people who I knew was into contest (and they accepted my request as well, lol) and made friends with them. Along the way, I got to know more about these peeps and even though I may not have met all of them in person, I've seen their FB/twitter activities long enough to know they are genuine harmless people who are willing to share knowledge and ideas :)




3. Pushing the limits
It takes extra effort to stand out and be extraordinary so that the contest organisers take notice of me. In order to convince people to give me a big tick, I have to think outside the box. A lot of times, it requires a lot of research and motivation in order to execute plans and ideas, especially for photo contest. It also takes me outside of my comfort zone. Let's not list out the things I've done and will do to win a contest... :P So to all the fitness junkies out there who say things in the line that only fit people are disciplined..there are many other people who are disciplined as well but it may not be in the same area. Compers are disciplined as well because it takes discipline to come up with a plan and follow through it before the contest dateline.




4. Stay updated
A lot of times, I subscribed for updates from various brands. I also follow closely the updates from FB, websites, and such while looking for contests. Some brands are really spammy so I usually will unsubscribe. It's cool to subscribe for updates because while I get to know about the latest ongoing contest, I also get to know a lot of other updates such as their latest promotions. As a consumer, it's beneficial cause I know where to get what stuff when it's cheap. Teehee.




5. It's easier to accept failure
Okay, this might not be really why I love joining contests. So while I cracked my head and put in a lot of effort to come up with a contest entry that I'm satisfied with, it does not mean that I will surely win. Most of the time, I get disappointed when I feel that I put up a good entry but in the end, failed to win - whatever the reason is, the feeling's sucky. But it's okay. Sure got feel a bit unhappy and act like a sour grape lah, but in the end, still move on and promise to do better next time. :P

I think I've come to learn to accept failure more than ever by joining contests - and it's easier. Why? It's mostly just time and effort wasted but other than that, it will not affect me. Unlike failing an exam, it's gonna influence my overall results, my scholarship, and even my future. I have nothing really to lose if I don't win in a contest... probably just miss out on the prize. *gulps*

Fellow compers, you agree? ;)