I agree with what everyone has said here, Jimmie. These are both terrific pieces and you are a terrific artist. I'm really happy for you. Your work really speaks to people and you're getting recongnition for it, I think it's wonderful.
Besides, it'll probably all even out in the end. The next show you enter there will probably be something that you think is terrible that places ahead of you, and boy will that annoy you!
Contests are capricious and incredibly subjective, just as Tom says.