In my previous article, 'Why Contests are the Worst', I explored the reasons to why contests could be considered 'broken', and reassured those who lost not give up. I realize now, looking back, that I definitely missed a large point in that article, which is why I have bothered to continue to write a sequel to that much hated work.

My introduction to 'Why Contests are the Worst' acts as a narrative, in an attempt to create a shared experience that apparently few people own. Personally, however, I have only entered two contests in my lifetime on this site, neither of which relate to the story I shared. I state now that contests are, indeed, broken, however, it is no one's fault. I used a comparison in my original article, stating "Imagine being in Art 1 and competing against an AP Art student." While I stand by this metaphor, I realize it is easily misread. This implies that my solution to fix contests is to organize participants by skill. This would be, other than impossible, seemingly unethical. Simply, a person who does not know how to bake a cake should not enter a cake baking contest and expect to win, meaning, someone should not enter into an area in which they are unskilled. This is not to say that those who are bad at building or creating skins should not enter, but enter out of enjoyment as their intent, rather than the reward. Of course, it is possible to acquire skills, but entering a contest may not be the most efficient way to train in that field in which you are studying. And, rather, it is impossible to have absolutely no skill in a subject, however a dime compared to a dollar is hardly a decision that requires much thought.

Since sorting out contests by skill is a poor solution, perhaps there is a better way to sort out those who wish to participate. It is a way many contests utilize: Age groups. This was my original intent for writing 'Why Contests are the Worst', however I failed to directly state that, in fear of ageist remarks. Just because a person is younger, does not mean they are less skilled, but it does mean that they are less experienced. This is why many contests choose to have age groups. It is why middle school basketball teams do not seem to play many college teams. With age groups, participants are grouped strategically with their piers. However, this is a very difficult manner to perform online, considering the ability to conceal one's identity.

The purpose for this article is not to point out the reason I personally believe contests are broken, but to show this purpose to others. I specifically write this to the young artists, those who are great at building, designing, and writing. I wanted to state that just because their art is not recognized as number one, does not mean that it is a poor creation. It is difficult to surpass those with much higher artistic experience, or just general life experience. I hope that you do not give up simply because you did not succeed, that is my message for everyone who bothered to read this far in this article. Do not give up at what you are good at, or at what you love. Strive to become the best you can be.