As much as I loved Ghost Crush, going by your post on DA it almost sounds like you were 'relying' on the cartoon to place much higher and thus get you much more money.
A lot more people (as well as the Newgrounds staff, which was also a very important factor otherwise my little monstrosity wouldn't have got in) found Jerry/Matt Sucks etc. more entertaining, hence why they placed higher I guess.
PS: An actual job never hurt if you're an artsy type after cash, you know. I'm making Subway sandwiches part time for my moneyz but this is all balanced with school/friends/etc.