I would say there is two kinds of competition.

Fun Competition:
A open competition that includes a fun theme. There is no prize but the fun would be worth it.

Normal Competition:
Lots of people join to win the reward. Big or small, they all want it.

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So if you want to make a competition without any rewards, then make it a Fun competition. Fun and Friendly with an open theme

I would join a competition if it sounds like it will be fun. If there isnt a prize, it wont stop me from entering.

I would join a contest regardless of what the winner gets. If the winner gets a reward, yes more people will join for the motivation of winning. I would have to say I agree with Fox and all other "Yes" users in this situation. I only entered one contest but that won't stop me from entering my seccond!

-Aidan

Remember, this is in General Help so not just restricted in PMC. Think of IRL situations Thanks for the support!

I would but only because I have very little talent at most Minecraft projects, so wouldn't want to have to risk metaphorically robbing someone if no-one else entered

It depends on what kind of contest, there's some motivated people on pmc. But offering prizes will attract more people in my opinion but you have to make sure those prizes are eligible with the rules on pmc. As of for the kind of contest is that for example a skin contest will be less likely to have an actual award compared to a building contest because it takes a lot more effort.

-Arcaniax

I have to agree with Fox. I likely enter as most user held competitions, they only offer badges and sometimes a skin request (for skin comps at least) which I wouldn't care about and would likely pass on to someone else (request that is). But yes, prizes definitely motivate people.