I agree with separating the machine and hand quilting categories. There are Art Quilt categories so why not? One is mechanically produced and the other isn't. To me that makes a significant difference in how I look at a quilt. Call the quilt police now. I probably offended someone.
I prefer the drape of a hand quilted quilt. Don't get me wrong, many machine quilts are beautiful but they are really stiff to me. I think it is because a lot of the designs are heavier maybe it is the thread or the way it is put in the frame. It could be the density of the designs. I wish I knew so I could fix the problem before I do it myself.
Can I do both? Someday I hope to. There is art and value in both styles. Currently I only know how to hand quilt.