Yes, it does depend on the judges, what they are looking for. A "certified" judge looks at the overall quilt - the design, is it pleasing to the eye, does it hang straight and that sort of thing. Then, more closely, is the binding full? Are the stitches straight & if machine done, was the tension correct? Is the quilting even & is there enough quilting? Lots of stuff to look at, and depending on how many quilts in the show, how many judges for the show & do they have scribes (helpers to write down their comments), it's true, they may only have a minute or 2 to make their decision on each quilt. Consider this - if there are 60 quilts in the show & the judges are only alloted 3 hours for judging...that's 3 minutes per quilt :!: :!: :!: They try to be as objective as they can - I'm not sure I could be a judge!!! The good judges do try to give constructive comments and do it in a positive way too.
Just think of all the people who got to enjoy your quilt because you entered it Chamby! You probably inspired at least ONE to start a quilt when they got home :D