@jdiannedotson freelance editor/consultant here. I've had no less than 4 clients come back to me about how little care their publisher had about the cover. The term, "Royalty free images" came up multiple times and I can't understand that even from a marketing perspective.
The first thing potential readers are going to see, is the cover and if it looks generic they're gonna look elsewhere.
Saving money on the cover LOSES money on the back end. It never works.
@jdiannedotson YES!
I avoid "contests" and encourage others to avoid them, too.
If they have "prize money" then they can pay an artist to do the work.