My first question would be, what did the other quilts in the pictorial category look like? The quilt wasn't being judged against all the quilts in the show, just the quilts in that category.
Not every quilt can win. There are usually some fantastic quilts that don't do well in one show, but win in others. The best example I can think of is Sandra Leichner's "Tea with Miss D." It won absolutely nothing at Paducah last year, but went on to win a major prize at Houston, and prizes at every other show it's entered.
As for what you should focus on, just make the best quilt that you can, that makes you happy. If the judges happen to like, so much the better. When you get it back from the show, look at the comments - hopefully they'll show you some way to make your next quilt better, and tell you what you've done right.
Janet