I'm attaching pictures I entered last year in the TN Valley Fair here in Knoxville. When I entered them, I had my expectations of what might do well, etc. Some of what I expected came to pass, some did not. See if you can guess which placed. This is difficult without knowing ANY of the competition and being a sort of COVID year, there weren't as many entries making it easier to place.

Please feel free to critique these as much as you want. I seldom get more than the typical, "nice picture" or "you must have a great camera". What I always desire and almost never get is criticism.

The first were the tulips that were entered in the "Plant world, flowers" group.
The second was the night shot with the Christmas lights. This was entered into the nightscape group.
The third was of my son in an alley at night and was entered into the "architecture" group.
The fourth was the dog jumping. Entered into "Animal domestic".
The fifth was the B&W profile of Mr. Lincoln. This was entered into "Congressional Medal of Honor, black and white" group.
The sixth was the raising of the large flag. This was entered into the "Congressional Medal of Honor, color" group.
The seventh was the two scouts in the cemetery. This was entered into the "Congressional Medal of Honor, patriotic" group.
The eighth was the blonde girl. This was entered into "Portrait of teenage or older".
The ninth was of the pitcher (playing vintage baseball). This was entered in the "B&W or toned, candid" group.
The tenth was the waterfall. Entered into the "Waterscape" group.
The eleventh and last was the portrait of Mr. Lincoln. This was entered into the "B&W or toned, portrait of a person" group.

I frequently disagree with judges in such competitions. In my eyes, the flag raising is the weakest image of the group! I really like the waterfall picture. Yes, it would have been better with them in silhouette. And it's hard to see what they are actually doing without pixel peeking. I really like the flowers. Someone suggested there should be 3, but I like the two. I like the side view of Lincoln, but the bright areas in front of his face are a real distraction. On the whole, I think you presented a nice group of images, and I congratulate you on your wins.