i've been participating since the beginning- 10 or 11 years now i think- i've won numerous times over the years- not the really big big prizes but gift certificates, fabric bundles, once i won a 20 piece (1/2 yards) of a whole collection! that was awesome! and i have won gift certificates from individual shops i signed up for their newsletters- which i found doing the shop hop-
i figure it doesn't cost anything except some time- it is well worth my participation- even if i go 4 or 5 hops without winning anything.