I was present at a judging this fall for a quilt show, I sure learnd alot what the judges look for.
They have different catagories. So you would enter the quilt according to the catagory. They should get the same respect if it done by hand or machine.
Personally I like hand applique , it is portable, you can take it anywhere(almost) to work on,and it is relaxing. Try something new.
Donna