[Dan-o]

As a former judge of 3 years, I can shed a little light on the topic.

First, different regions handle the issue differently, however, I believe all judging teams try to balance "sharing the wealth" with maintaining the integrity of the awards. In general, there are not steadfast rules about how many awards a team can win at an event.

Second, the job of being a judge is much harder than most people would probably would give it credit. There are often a plethora of deserving teams and a room full of passionate advocates.... "persuading" on their behalf. From personal experience, I am amazed with the amount of energy the Bayou tea puts into trying to select the absolute best candidates for the awards.

I hope this helps.