You never can be sure what the consequences of submitting work to a publication or entering a competition might be. It might seem straightforward: your work is either accepted, or it's rejected. However, even when the editors or judges don't select your submission/entry you might still end up a winner.
    After my story, 'Salvage', appeared in Daily SF, Paul Coles of Beam Me Up Podcast asked if he could broadcast it. Of course, I grabbed the offer, and I'm privileged now to have had dramatised readings of three stories on the podcast. My entry to the Thresholds competition did not make it amongst the winners, but it caught the eye of the organisers, and I had the pleasure of seeing it published on their site. Back in 2012, my entry to the Yeovil Prize, 'Blind Alleys', was commended. I believed that was it–close, but no cigar–then early this year the organisers emailed me with the news that they'd like to include it in their anthology for 2012-2013. This has now been published, which is great in itself, and due to this one of the other included authors, Bruce Harris, has contacted me. He has set up a website full of useful information and tips for writers and plans to publish an e-zine as well in which he would like to use one of my prize-winning stories and a feature from me about writing.
    It all goes to show, that you should always have a go. Who knows where your efforts might lead?