if you want to enter a show and get a ribbon its best to study the winning quilts of that show.
ribbons are based on what judges like - these are subjective for each show and area of the country.
where i live modern quilts done by machine with lots of quilting win. if you drive 3-4 hours to the rural area of my state traditional hand pieced and hand quilted wins.
then on top of the judges and whats popular in your area you have to know your competition.
i live in an artistic community and some of the best quilt artists in the country live here so the competition is extremely tough to beat.