Here's the thing -- The two previous users were not talking about what other people are doing. They were talking about what Webtoons specifically as a host is doing. Yeah, we can get into how people are already popular and can already be promoted and favored, but we're not discounting their hard work. We're not arguing against those creators because they cannot control what Webtoons does.
What was pointed out was Webtoons's way of setting up the contest, which is more than just a contest (it's also a job interview in a sense because they're offering 80k to a lucky winner who will sign on with them and possibly get a job.)
This is outside of the contest. Whether or not someone continues their comic after the contest is over isn't what is being discussed. That's "after the fact". We're talking about "during the fact", and during the fact, it can discourage people from entering a contest when the host -- who is providing the contest -- makes it clear to other people who they're already favoring. We're not even counting the judges or the audience. The host itself is showing favoritism while the first round is happening.
First-round is from June 11 to September 13. Eight winners are picked September 21. Which means the threshold between Sept. 13 and Sept. 21 are the main days for judging. From June - Sept -- you're just entering the contest and trying to get your work in. And this is where no judges or hosts are supposed to be involved yet.
I've been accepted into scholarships and have an Engineering internship, and in the first round, you're on your own. You have to create the resume, the presentation, the essays. You have to promote yourself. The judges and host don't get a hand until they see your work. They're not there to help you advance yet.
But when you have the host -- not even judges -- promoting specific contest entries, that's when you have a problem. Yeah -- hosts and judges have their favorites. But that becomes something different they start to do things that give the leverage to other people, instead of keeping them in the same process as everyone else and maintaining the fairness. When it comes to judging, they can stake their claim for their favorites. When it comes to promotions, performance and everything else? That's left up to the participants. That is fair.
Now, what would be fair is if Webtoons promoted ALL of the contest entries. Each day, or parts of the day, the website promotes a handful of the comic entries until they get through all of them (or until September 13). If they're gonna promote comics in this contest, there is "all or none". No one would make accusations then because it becomes "enter this contest, and we'll promote you". That increases the chances of audiences voting on their own. From there, Webtoons has done its job, and left it up to chance with the audience.
