I used to watch the judging in our county fair for many years, and look at the comments....when I was a quilter wannabe. I am talking about 15 years of being involved with the fair. There was a group of older women that mostly brougt traditional quilts and the ribbons and awards really favored those. They were just too set in their ways. It finally started to shift when the younger quilters started bringing art quilts, but it took a while. With that being said, I know binding or finishing is one of the biggest things that they will examine, and it usually can make or break an award winning quilt.
I would bet your art quilts are gorgeous! Keep improving always and dont get too discouraged. Can we see pictures?
I wanna be an art quilter too!
( I was in Extension for 15 years, but not in FCS area..I was the hortuculturist, so I can definitly tell you what they look for when judging the fruits, flowers and veggies....lol!)