Yes, it would bother me. Because I'm naive and wouldn't see the possibility for a different motive in someone's mind. I'm thinking, the best quilt wins, verses the one with the best marketing abilities and the most "friends". This is a good lesson when it comes to advertising of any kind. When traveling, I've learned to get off the beaten path, have lunch at a local restaurant, off hours and where the parking lot is mostly local license plates. Repeat customers know what the food's like.
I rarely enter these competitions unless I've got something I want people to see. And I prepare myself to not take it personally, even judges comments.