What's going wrong with the webtoon contest?

[CallMeMattheww]

As of late with the webtoon contest I've noticed sad patterns going amongst participants and I really don't understand why they happen

So if anyone is unaware webtoon is holding a contest where the winner gets 80000 dollars as prize money and ever since it opened there have been over 6000 entries, but of all those entries I could say that maybe 40 of them are still trying (maybe less), so here's what I've noticed

Group 1 - People who already had webcomic / large following joined the contest got alot of views and subs and now pretty much all of them have just disappeared, they bulk uploaded their comics but haven't updated since about a month ago and no word is given as to why and no word is given on what they're currently doing

Group 2 - People who are new to the webcomic scene and debuted their comics in the contest, they dont get alot of audience interaction (Generally speaking low view and like count and usually get about 50 - 100 subs if they're lucky) but then after they upload about 2 or 3 chapters they disappear as well

Group 3 - People who never get around to uploading their comics but post promotional / teaser images instead

Now these are just 3 patterns I've noticed of users and if you want, you can see for yourself i'm sure you'll see exactly what I'm talking about but anyway I really don't get it, I mean the contest offers so much money, so why are there so many people who just seemed to stop caring, I get that with groups 2 & 3, its more about not getting recognition or not being able to create a comic but then what about Group 1 who literally have over 100 000 subscribers, why do they stop as well.....I just don't get it

I Personally don't think webtoons did nothing wrong because they advertised the contest very well and are handling the contest nicely and so that makes it even more confusing so i guess what i'm wondering is what's going wrong with the webtoon contest?

[Jenny-Toons]

There've been a few threads going on about the Webtoons Contests that will probably bring you up to speed on how people are feeling about it and Webtoons in general.

Anyone else see Webtoon announce a contest? Prizes seem to be: winner gets $80K and offered to publish, 3 runner ups get $30K and chances to publish. 4 more runner ups get $5k and offers to publish.

I noticed ad revenue is live on LINE Webtoon, figured we could have a thread about it to discuss it. So far min requirements seem to be 40,000 PV a month and 1,000 subs. - also you must be 18yrs or older(although this may depend on the country you reside in) [image] some more important info, they take 50%, but I have no idea what that adds up to: [image] Also it seems you get paid in increments of $100 mins, click to expand info on that: [image]

Overall, there have been mixed feelings about the contest. There had been moments where Webtoons had advertised certain contest entries over others, which of course made some people suspect favoritism. And then there's the whole situation with the Ads revenue, which people are also questioning.

Of course, there are still those who support Webtoons and are definitely on board, but even then, not everyone is really trying to depend on them or the contest.

I mean the contest offers so much money, so why are there so many people who just seemed to stop caring,

The prize money is lovely, but a lot of people are thinking more than that. A lot of people, especially veteran creators, didn't join the contest strictly for the money. Also, it's not just money. They're not going to just give you money. Here's the breakdown:

8 winners win $5,000 and a chance to be signed on.
4 finalists win $25,00 and a chance to sign on.
The grand-prize winner wins $50,000 and a possible sign on.

That's over $100,000 in prize money. But they're not just going to GIVE the prize money. They're trying to find people to give contracts to. And I believe if you win but refuse the contract, you're not getting the money. They will go to someone else because let's face it -- who's going to give $80,000 to someone who says "no" to their offer?

A lot of the veteran creators didn't do it for the money. Even those starting out didn't really do it for the money. It was more for exposure, to possibly gain a larger audience, and to expand their brand.

So the answer why some people have stopped, it varies:

• People might've stopped because they don't want to sign on a contract .They did the bare minimum and just wanted exposure.

• People felt they bit off more than they could chew and got overwhelmed. It happens to all of us at some point, but they're just not ready to sign onto something as big as a contract.

• Life got in the way. Something more important than the contest came up, and they decided to back out and focus on other things. Either that or they just lost interest.

• Some people have grown to distrust Webtoons. Whether that's because of early moments in the contest or because of other things, they just decided to back out.

[CallMeMattheww]

Huh I didn't know about most of the things you just listed and the whole idea that they advertised certain comics makes me think that they probably already chose their winners and that this whole contest might just be a promotional stunt for those select few......

And even like how you put it, it makes it clear that this isn't actually a contest but more of a recruitment plan on their part.

At least this answers my question on why the contest has turned out the way it has

.....I'm not sure if I wanna continue to post my comic now.....

[Jenny-Toons]

I do think it ended up looking that way. Though whether or not they did choose beforehand is still speculations

I think more or less, it had been bad planning on Webtoon's part and it just really left a bad taste in some creators' mouths. They do have some good intentions, but how they execute it doesn't always turn out well and they lack some planning here and there.

Silver Lining? They've gotten better over time, so they are improving. This'll just have to be a learning experience for them as a company and how to handle it better.

I'm only one voice, so don't take my entire words to heart. There are plenty of people who see it from Webtoon's perspective and offer some valid points in the first thread I posted. If you want more diverse opinions on it, that's the thread to go to.

And you can still post your comic for the exposure!

Honestly, I didn't do the contest because I had an internship this summer, so I was real busy. But of my friends who did join, they entered for the exposure and found themselves with more readers! I wouldn't pull out just yet. You might not win the money, but coming out with new readers is always nice.

[beta1042]

Group 1 - People who already had webcomic / large following joined the contest got alot of views and subs and now pretty much all of them have just disappeared, they bulk uploaded their comics but haven't updated since about a month ago and no word is given as to why and no word is given on what they're currently doing

Group 2 - People who are new to the webcomic scene and debuted their comics in the contest, they dont get alot of audience interaction (Generally speaking low view and like count and usually get about 50 - 100 subs if they're lucky) but then after they upload about 2 or 3 chapters they disappear as well

Group 3 - People who never get around to uploading their comics but post promotional / teaser images instead

The people from group 1 have already met the requirements and are not uploading because they don't need to.

the people from group 2 I can't speak for them, but most likely it's one of 2 major factors(obviously there can be other reasons, I just think these are two major reasons)
1-they felt discouraged and rather than continuing to bust their butt, they're gonna cut their loses and stop before they invest more hours, or
2-Life came up and they found they just didn't have the actual time to finish the min requirements to their satisfaction. A lot of people at this point are going back to school and if they couldn't make the min requirements by now, they probably won't have the time to continue to do so.

for group 3- these people tested the waters and decided for whatever reason to not follow through be it time, energy, life complications, or not a big enough interest in their teaser.

I think there are a decent number of people still updating, and also a decent number of people who are gonna push through and publish a bunch at the end. But I also feel like there are people who realized they're not cut out to do 40panel updates, and if they win they probably can't maintain that work load either. But who knows for sure.

[Hodge]

I'm basically in group 3, and the other replies basically explained it. Not enough time, other responsibilities, doubts about webtoon, and there's other ways of earning money from comics (and now webtoon has the ad revenue program).

I'm not gonna butcher a comic I believe in and rush it to meet the minimum requirements just for a contest I may or may not win. I got excited initially and uploaded a prologue (and finished the first chapter which I now want to redo anyways lololol) but then put things into perspective and realized there are other ways to go about it at this stage in my life. Some part of me still wants to continue, but too much is already going on in my life (also have another comic contest participating in that I'm more confident in).

But yeah, it's a rather large time commitment if you want to compete seriously, and not everyone has that kinda free time to spend on a gamble.

[MK_Wizard]

The problem with the contest is that it is too restrictive and it expects you to have a new story. It does not grant the flexibility of using stories that are already up or one page per episode. It is a good idea on paper, but in execution, it just isn’t forgiving enough.

[hjfsdh2222]

People probably just either gave up or got on with their lives:/

Think about it. It’s easier to worry about your own job and making money that way than it is to worry about winning the lotto. And it’s probably more rewarding.

[CallMeMattheww]

So i 'm guessing that the people in group 1 didn't necessarily disappear then, but are probably building up their comic since they have already met the requirements, because honestly this was the group that was the most worrying for me, I just couldn't understand how someone with so many views, subs and episodes would just stop for no reason

[CallMeMattheww]

LOL I'm in Group 2 and I'm probably gonna give up soon and funny enough I've been butchering my comic for the past 2 weeks I just don't feel motivated enough to carry on anymore

And what other comic contest are you entering, maybe I could try my luck there?

[Cronaj]

I'm probably a combination of groups 1 and 2, mostly because I had a comic before, and I'm revamping it with new art and dialogue, but I haven't fulfilled the requirements or posted recently. Why? It's as @JakiraJurosawa said: Life happened. I've been dealing with getting treatment for my illness, and my job got extremely demanding all of a sudden, and I simply don't have time to draw like I'd want to. The contest just happened to have really bad timing in my life.

[AllisonGal]

There are so many various reasons but one of the biggest in my opinion is that Webtoon's already let everyone know indirectly who the winner is, and many are discouraged and do not see the point to continue. My friends who are authors feel that way, they were very into the contest at first but seeing webtoon's already picked the comic they will likely to make the winner (as this comic's been advertise no stop for almost all 3 months of the contest duration in multiple sections), and few others being promoted multiple times, there you go, that's the winners right there, most of them at least. there actually isn't any competition. All their sweet talk about plot, strong characters, blah blah blah are again... just talk. The outcome's obvious. Many authors understood that. Of course this is one of the many reasons.

[shaozc]

I upload to Webtoons and Tapas every month at least once (espcially since now i try to upload pages the 10th of every month) but i didnt bother joining the contests for a few reasons...mainly my comic isnt big enough or have an active enough audience?(im not sure webtoons really doesnt like showing detailed numbers in that regard)
Plus im not to the point to where i have to create a story immediately for a contest (which i can do but putting whats in brain on to pages suddenly is gonna be abit..xD;)
And there does feel like alittle favoritism going on. Alot of the highlights are big comics (which ok fine. Its not like they didnt deserve it and their stories are good) but theres no community forum or way to talk to other artists on Webtoons like here on tapas

[ShadowsVaporized]

Group 1: I think if you don't upload within two weeks, webtoons takes you off the popularity chart, probably to make room for other people. It happened to me, and I've seen popular contest entries not upload for 2+ weeks and then upload again and gain their popularity spot back.

Group 2: Yea, I really feel sorry for this group of people. However, I have seen many start slow with 50-100 subs and then rise rapidly after webtoons showcase them in the discover recommended section.

Group 3: My only explanation for this group of people is probably running out of time, especially for people who start the contest late and can't realistically make all the requirements for the contest