Hopefully we are just talking about the quilting world and not just what we talk about on this board. I find the most controversial subject for me is the judge's comments when you place a quilt in a show!
In my history of the shows I have seen, I have watched many ladies think very highly of their accomplishments and then watch them as they lose some glow because a judge has written comments on their entries regarding all the things they did wrong. I quess one may look at it and say that the judge or judges are supposed to tell them some of the areas where they need to improve but at the same time there needs to be a lot more encouraging comments.
At one county fair, the comments were actually attached to the quilts while they were displayed. Most of the comments were bad. I have friends that although they have beautiful quilts at home to show, they won't do it. Every year, the number of quilts for the show goes down.
For a couple of years I would walk through the the exhibit building and read the comments. Why did the commnets have to be available for the public to see. One comment said "this is not really a quilt". Of course it was, it was a ragtime quilt. If it wasn't a quilt why did they allow the quilter to enter it.
I sure hope that other quilt shows are not like this. I would like to see the quilt judged and given a ribbon (or not) If comments are necessary, give them at the time the quilter comes for the quilt (after the show).
Please excuse my tone. I just think that everybody does beautiful work. I was taught that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!