I judged knit and crochet at our state fair in the past. We were told not to award ribbons, especially best in show, unless they were deserved. My opinion is that a ribbon for every entry will encourage more mediocre (or worse) entries. It's like the "everybody gets a trophy" practice in kids' competitions. But we're dealing with adults (for the most part) and they should be able to accept the fact that not everyone can win.