I just listened to a podcast from someone who's judged quilts at shows. She said the judges are looking for perfection in workmanship of the piecing and that the quilt is evenly quilted. One of the things she mentioned is that the tension is even and not pulling the thread too tight on the back of the quilt. This info made me feel I'd have a chance at an award because I assumed the beautifully quilted longarmed quilts got more points! If your machine has a good consistent tension, any machine could achieve award winning quilts (in my opinion).