[tamlin]

I think, on balance, that Mike is probably right. It's just that I've seen phony "competition" scams before: the organisers invite artists to submit their work in the hope of winning the "prize" - usually a place in an exhibition, a nominal cash prize or something of that sort. The problem is that in the small print (which nobody reads, right?) there is a clause that says all submissions become the property of the competition organisers. The "winner" may well receive their "prize", but the organisers get a stack of free artwork to do with what they will.