It's the same as the other contest (5)
I believe the answer is:
match
'contest' is the definition.
(I know that match is a type of contest)
'it's the same as the other' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'mach' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for match that I've seen before include "Correspondence" , "Game; lighter" , "Formal contest - game" , "Light" , "Go together" .)