This is the issue I think and apologies if it's been said before and probably better too.
If it was just a case of the judges looking at the art and story, then them promoting entries to the front page might not be as big of a deal because us little guys might feel like we're still in for a chance based on our abilities as storytellers.
BUT! Webtoons has made popularity and engagement a relatively HUGE chunk of what they plan to consider when picking entries. They're appearing to show favoritism as a result of their behavior so it feels like, "why hold a competition if you have picked the winner already?"
Sure we keep competing because if you're not in it then you have no chance at all and even a small one is better than nothing but it does feel like you're competing for table scraps.