The contest is a way to develop and support Free TON, as well as a way of the meritocratic token distribution model of the network.
Contests are held in various fields: programming, design, SMM, PR, and so on. Some of them are aimed at technical improvement of the work, some are aimed at increasing awareness of the blockchain and attracting new users.
The way TON Crystal is initially distributed as a reward for the winners of the contests is a unique solution used for the first time to launch a blockchain.