I think I share similar sentiments to @zekepickleman. Contests definitely helped me find my "people" on here and helped me grown when I was new. They can be a great way to start creating content when you're not sure what you want to write about. I think I help host more contests now than I enter, but I still enjoy jumping in when I get the chance! I find it is a great way to sometimes branch out of my usual content and share something a little more personal at times.

I think if you get involved with communities early on then perhaps contests are not a must as you can still interact with many different people. But when you look most of the main communities do also host weekly or monthly contests as a way to get all of the members engaged. So I guess it is kind of hard for me to imagine Steem without contests and challenges. Even ones with no "prize" often tend to do really well just because they bring people together. :)