Qube! Maybe you could start a topic about the new nature of future compos, and see what the "core" (and other) people think about this besides the few already voiced their opinion here.
Comp prize - How about each comp has the option for anyone ( including me ) to donate X amount. The amount is kept secret until the end of the comp. This way it'll be a surprise as to what the prize fund pot is?
What about the prize for winning is that you won? What if people entered the competition just to have fun? It seems that unless money is involved then there is no FUN competition. Monthly competitions can still be fun without the need to tie it to money.
Maybe a very low mandatory fee like dunno $9 and people who have more for the cause can pay above the "minimum"...but we can't expect Qube finance the whole competition by himself. But I would consider make a "no money prize" competition.
I bet only the "hardcore fraction" (aka active community members) would pay a fee to enter the competition. If it is there to attract new coder collegues, then a "fee" might be not the best idea.
Only teasing mate, you got the ball rolling and threw in some cash as an incentive to get people entering. There have been some very impressive entries and I'm sure lots more, prize or no prize. Like Kris said, we can use this as a feedback stage and move on from there. Either charge a few bucks after or just call it a completed project. Both are a worthwhile goal.
I don't think "internal" funding is a must in a case of a competition. It's better if we look at it as a first feedback-stage where every competitor can get a good in-depht feedback from fellow devs. This is invaluable if contenders want to turn their idea into a commercial game.
