[silk]

That depends where the quality cut-off point is.
Should only the top 1% of images get an award, or the top 10%? And how is it decided which make it into the top 10% anyway?

This always has and always will be a problem when it comes to any judging of art. Look at the Tuner prize finalists. There's always a big argument every year about work that should or shouldn't be there.
Everyone has their own opinion.
The funny thing is that looking at my own gallery here, I have 7 gold awards, but I don't agree with which ones were given awards and which were not. I would choose my best images differently than the judges here did.