A lot of what was mentioned above are my reasons for not loving competitions. That said, I've been in quite a few through the years including NHC, I've medaled in quite a few, and I've gotten really poor scores and feedback in quite a few. I've stewarded a handful, and have mostly positive thoughts about the process.
My issues:
1. Minimum score. Why bother? If the beer is absolutely terrible that you want to give it a 0, what's the difference between a 0 and a 13? Or a 14? or a 17? Would a 17 make you feel that much better than a 14 or a 6? For me, anything under a 30 and I am not happy with how the beer did. For me a 29 might as well be a 0. Call me snooty if you want, but that's basically how I feel about the beers I enter.
2. People afraid of giving out 50s. I stewarded a table where they gave a Belgian Dark Strong a 49. Neither judge (both certified mind you) could find a flaw in it, but were both afraid to give it a 50. I tasted it and it was a fantastic beer. Their scoresheets basically both said the same "this is outstanding, we can't find an issue, keep it up." I would be a little irked if that was my beer and they said that but didn't give me a 50. In all of the comps I've stewarded, I've never seen a 50. My highest score on any beer I've ever entered was maybe a 46 or so.
3. Certain styles will *NEVER* win BOS. A HIGH QUALITY, TRUE TO STYLE beer should medal and win, no matter what style it is. Any light lagers, cream ales, pale european beer..... never stand a chance at BOS, no matter how well they are brewed. It always seems to be over the top stouts, belgian dubbel or darker, over the top IPAs, super boozy Wee Heavys or Saisons, or maybe some lesser brewed style like a Weizenbock or Sahti. If the style guidelines say it should taste like Coors Light, and you brewed something identical to Coors Light, it should have have a chance at scoring a 50 and should be on equal footing at BOS. But judges tend to prefer the more flavorful styles and always seem to choose them.
When I asked a judge about this, they couldn't give me a straight answer. They stumbled around saying something to the effect of "well, these other styles aren't as easy, er, um, so, they will usually win out". FINE, then make the max score of an American Light Lager a 30, and the rest 50, or find some other way to let the brewers know that that style doesn't stand a chance.
For those of you who judge - have you ever scored anything in 1a-d, 2a, 3a, 11a, 14a, 18a (2021 guidelines), anything higher than a 35?
Just my 2c.