I think contests are a fantastic way to start getting involved on Steemit and it's the way I started. I still now like you enter one or two a week but for me it's more to expand my writting skills and see what I'm capable of. @anomadsoul was the first contest I saw outside of photography and I was so happy I found a purpose lol. Gave me my first decent payout after my intro post too. Thanks for sharing, I think everyone should get involved.