I actually thought about that before. I mean, if you're really serious about a project, do you really need some jury that, as you say, may just distract you? If you're really serious you'll find a way. BTW, same goes for that talent reality shows: if you really have talent and really want to sing for example, it's pretty sad that you waited until a show appeared. If it's really something you always wanted to do, how come you weren't actually doing it seriously?

But I applied for different reasons. Not only was I awaken from my no-idea-where-I'm-going state but I benefited also from various people coming to workshops to talk about different business subjects and how to write a business plan for investors. Some of this stuff was very beneficial to me at this point.

Now I know I will continue pursuing my plan no matter what happens on this contest (although the prize would be nice to get me started on my plan so I have something more than an idea to show to the investors).