Entering competitions/exhibitions

Hi all, I thought it may be nice to put a little bit about our experience entering competitions. I've been entering competitions for many years now and have had some shocking experiences along the way. Some of the earlier exhibitions that i have entered, my submissions have been of a good standard and would have fit well within the actual selected exhibition. When ever i don't get my works accepted i still go view the exhibition for reference and to see everyones work who made it. Several times of not being accepted in viewing the works i have been amazed at some of it that was accepted leaving me a bit confused on how the works were selected. It is purely down to who are the judges for the competition/exhibition.So in hind sight i feel it is always good to find out who is judging the event and search them online and see what makes them tick(their preferences) and this will give you a better insight into what they are looking for. This just gives you a bit of an advantage when it comes to selecting your work to submit or work to produce for the competition. If any one else has experience to share or insight into entering competitions exhibitions please leave them in this posting. Thank you.