Originally Posted by petthefabric

Quilt shows have a budget. Local shows sometimes hire judges that don’t have professional certificates. Most guilds are heavily traditional. Pretty and very detailed usually wins. Art is a genre all it’s own. One of my art quilts won a ribbon at Road to California. A comment was the interesting shape of the bottom border. At another local show it was critically judged for the simple background. Modern quilts often have open backgrounds to highlight quilting.

Professional judging is 90-95% technique. Only 5-10% goes to design. If it doesn’t lay flat, it’s out. If the corners of the binding aren’t stitched down, it’s out. To be acceptable it must be excellent quilt technique.

international shows have web sites with albums of winners. There are categories for art. Here’s some shows;
Road to California
Mancuso Festivals (there are several each year across the nation) In California it’s Pacific International Quilt Festival.
AQS (American Quilters Association)
SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) For art, this is good to be a member.